Imperfect Queen
by bandidaciega
Summary: The great kingdom of Camelot is struggling to find a new Queen, only because it seems that nothing can please the prince. As a solution to this problem, they send to guards to embark on a journey to find a new Queen, peasant or noble, anybody. Unfortunately, the guards take it as a joke and choose the girl that wants to do nothing with this scheme. Will she be a good queen?
1. Of crowns and thorns

Agatha woke up to as she always does, in her room, in her house near the graveyard, up for a lonely normal day. With drops of water leaking from the small opening in the ceiling, constantly dripping down on the floor beneath it, which couldn't be fixed because it was too expensive, she tumbled out of her cozy bed. After facing the fact it was already 7;00 , she simply woke up begrudgingly, and stumbled to her closet. She then proceeded pulled the first thing she grabbed; black skirt, peasant grey shirt, black vest and finally got the same black clumps from always. She got out of her cramped bedroom to go to the cramped living room, and she saw her mom holding about three different types of plants in her hands, probably she was running out of healing herbs, after all being the town's physician.

"Running out of herbs?" Agatha asked, about 99% sure of the answer.

"Yes," her mother replied, as Agatha expected, which led to her internally groaning. "I think you know what that means."

It was time for Agatha to go to the Endless Woods or Sophie's house for that matter, and grab some herbs for Callis. Perfect. Not that she had anything else to do with her life. Now she has to go to the forest to get some herbs that she can't remember what they're named.

"I'll go get my cloak" Agatha offered. Going to the forest wasn't bad, in fact, she liked it, but doing this isn't her favorite task. Her mom was independent enough to do this.

"Why don't you ask that friend of yours? She probably has some, seeing as she has colossal amounts of money compared to us." Her mother said. By "friend", she meant Sophie.

Sophie did have more money than the two of them, given as her father was a carpenter in need all the time. They had a better income, and it showed. Sophie's dresses were very fine, and they came in all the colors you could imagine, with embroidery patterns that gleamed in the sunlight and fitted the dress color perfectly. The fabrics were made out of the one of the finest silks in Gavaldon, but considering they were a small town in the middle of nowhere, it may not be all that fine at all.

Seeing as they could afford such extravagant items, they always had herbs that were equally extravagant. Which meant Agatha had to borrow them. Or take them.

"I'll ask her," Agatha said with a hint of annoyance in her voice, going out and slamming the door loudly behind her.

"Ask for lemon balm, peppermint parsley and Echinacea!" She yelled after Agatha.

"Lemon balm, peppermint parsley, and Echinacea," Agatha repeated in her head. "Lemon balm, peppermint, parsley, and Echinacea."

Agatha walked through the graveyard, knowing that today was just a regular, normal day.

The walk to Sophie's house is not that bad, it is rather close to Agatha's house. What happens is that Sophie lives in a small hill, and Agatha is not in her best shape (Considering the fact that she is pale, and skinny, and homely at worst). Sophie's house is at least three times bigger than Agatha's as well. The house is concealed behind some elm trees, with a plain white house with a maroon door, small window and a garden with a couple of dandelions. It is picturesque in Agatha's opinion. She brought a hand to the door, knocking on the wooden door and waiting for Sophie to come, Agatha tapped her feet and soon saw Sophie's face light up.

"Aggie! What are you doing here?" Sophie asked.

Some people wondered how these two were friends, actually, the whole village does. Some think Agatha put some witchy spell on Sophie, but Sophie one day went to her house and started talking to her, against Agatha's will. They were complete opposites, physically and personality wise. Sophie had blonde, long hair, with stunning emerald eyes, and to compliment that, she was always happy. It was noxious to Agatha's health. Agatha, on the other side, had short, black hair, and eyes as dark as the night sky. She was oddly pale and anti-social. It even puzzles her why Sophie is her friend, but she was glad they were friends.

"My mom sent me to ask you if you have some medicinal herbs," Agatha simply said.

"Which ones? I think we have a few you could use," Sophie replied. Then she opened the door wider, revealing a much less stuffed and much more decorative room compared to Agatha's house. "Come in!"

Agatha stepped into her house, still slightly in awe at how much space there was in Sophie's cottage. Sophie walked lightly to the kitchen, jars, stoves and other things lay on the countertop. Sophie reached a cabinet and pulled three jars out.

"There's extra basil, so just take the whole jar and return it when it's empty, lavender, and grinded chamomile, I hope that's enough," Sophie said closing the cabinet behind her.

What did she need again? Lemon balm, pe-something, par-something, and Echinacea. That's all she knew.

"Do you have lemon balm? And Echinacea?" Agatha inquired, she knew she needed two others but couldn't remember which ones, and she didn't really care as long as she got at least one.

Sophie pondered for a minute or two, casually tapping her index finger against her chin before she sweetly smiled, gesturing at the cabinets.

"There is some lemon balm around here, but not echi— whatever that is," Sophie replied after a while, she started looking for the lemon balm, cabinet after cabinet, until she found some.

"Ah, here it is!" Sophie said handing her a small container.

"Thanks, I wasn't in the mood for a walk down the forest," Agatha said, grimacing at the thought at pointlessly walking down meandering paths and eventually getting lost - not that she did get lost. It was just a total waste of time.

"Oh no problem! So how's the graveyard doing?" Sophie asked nonchalantly, she fixed her long new pink dress that was covered in ribbons.

Agatha shrugged before replying. "Fine. You know, mom gets a lot of sick people, which is good for her, but not for them. At least today there wasn't some patient laying on top of the table...Ugh."

Sophie shuddered as Agatha mentioned that.

Sophie shook her head "I don't know how you don't get scared at such a dark and creepy place, with all the corpses and spirits." She shook, thinking of the dark and spooky graveyard.

"You make it sound worse than what it is," Agatha said. Agatha wasn't afraid of the graveyard, she just liked being alone instead of being molested by obnoxious neighbors. That was how she met Sophie. Sophie was selling flowers door to door, and she didn't missed even hers…

"Still. Besides, here you get all the village gossip!" Sophie exclaimed, Agatha rolled her eyes, she already knew all the gossip around town.

Or so she thought.

"Nothing happens here, besides someone dying, getting married or something like that. Well, that and people getting eloped," Agatha said. "Unless you get gossip more interesting from other places, I don't really see the point in it,"

"I do! Thanks to Honora really," Agatha knew her, Sophie's stepmom was the typical woman, meddling in everybody's business was her hobby. "Rumor has it that after years of unsuccessful findings, Camelot has decided to look for a princess in other villages! A trader said so, or was it an artisan that heard it from a merchant? Oh well, it doesn't matter."

Agatha's eyebrows shot up before they went back down. Yeah right, like a prosperous kingdom of Camelot would actually come here to Gavaldon, this little, little village.

Agatha guffawed. "And you think people from a place like Camelot is going to come here out of all places? I tell you, we'll both be dead before that happens. And what do you think? You'll be picked as a princess? They might not even get close to Gavaldon," Sophie humphed, as always, turning her head up.

"Well, why not? We sure do trade with some other places, so people could mention this village." Sophie said, Agatha rolled her eyes at her ignorance.

"Like that's going to happen." Agatha mumbled.

"Yeah, you tell me when you see knights from Camelot casually knocking your door. And why would they pick peasants like us? Use logic!" Sophie opened her mouth to retort back, but Agatha beat her to it "Yes, peasants, because nobody here can even be qualified as a noble, sorry Sophie,"

Sophie opened her mouth and closed, as if unsure to be hurt or to be angered or to just realize the truth and that Agatha didn't mean any harm.

And apparently, Sophie decided to argue, "If they are looking in villages that means the ran out of princesses! And from what I heard is a young and handsome prince we're talking about. King Arthur's son!"

Sophie's eyes turned distant as she let out a dreamy sigh, closing her eyes and probably imagining being picked by Camelot's prince. Agatha loved Sophie as a friend, and she didn't want to let her down, but there was barely a chance of that happening.

Agatha snorted, "And why would he have any interest in some low class girl? You'd have a chance of getting picked if you didn't live here, seeing as you have natural charm, but there may be someone like you in other place."

Sophie looked crestfallen, her eyes falling to the ground as she slowly shook her head.

For a moment, Agatha panicked. She didn't mean to make Sophie give up hope! Oh no...

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be that harsh," Agatha said embarrassed and guilty. "You really do have a chance of being a great princess..."

"That's alright," Sophie said, looking back up and recovering from her misery, "I'll see you around. Bye."

"Surely" Agatha said, and with that she left for home.

"Prince from Camelot? Ha! People is so bored they are making stuff up." Agatha thought. Sophie always complained about being a middle class person, and Agatha would always replied that lower class was always worse and that would shut up Sophie. Sophie seemed like the girl who wanted to be a princess in a sort of fairytale. Agatha was fine with having a full stomach and having a home.

It took about half hour to arrive home, 45 minutes if you stopped, which Agatha did three times because she thought something would break, and she was in no position of paying glass jars. The graveyard was quite quiet, as usual, with nothing out of place at all. When Agatha reached her door, she had to put down the jars to open the door before she reached the doorknob, opening the door and holding it with her back as she grabbed the two other jars.

"I'm home!" Agatha announced, looking down at the jars. "I didn't quite hear everything you wanted me to get, but I got the lemon balm. Sophie didn't have Echinacea though." She placed the jars at the table next to her mom as the woman inspected them before speaking.

"Well, I don't have to worry about running out of basil for a while, I'm just glad the girl is quite generous." She replied.

"Yeah, she just said to return the jars when you're finished. You'll probably put them in some other place rather than this jars anyways, won't you?" Agatha asked, her mother nodding, it was always the same, just putting the herbs in cabinets, or a bottle or a random container, which were all around the house.

"Took you longer than I thought though," her mother said, looking slightly confused.

"Well, as Sophie is a full class higher than us, she gets more rumors and she always share them with me, even though I have expressed to have no interest in them," Agatha said, she kicking off her clumps as she sat down with her feet on the table, which was not ladylike at all, but awfully comfortable.

"Like the time she said someone here was secretly a Verdugo just because he had an axe? Huh, the poor devil was a wimp," Callis verbalized, as Agatha nodded with agreement.

"It seems like people is getting more and more imaginative, because the stories are getting ridiculous now." Agatha commented " Because snobs from Camelot are surely not coming here anytime soon."

Callis looked up for what seemed like the first time in hours

"I heard so the other day at the church. Some princess hunting or something. I'm betting on Belle, maybe that friend of yours, but most likely not you." Callis thought out loud with an edge of "That's ridiculous" at her last comment. Agatha snorted.

"You think they could even come near Gavaldon?" Agatha asked, Callis shrugged.

"Desperate Kingdoms would do anything for a princess that's worthy. I say they won't give up," She replied indifferently.

"You're probably right" Agatha gave in, looking out the window in the direction of where Sophie's cottage would be, wondering if the knights of Camelot would actually come to Gavaldon to look for a princess.


	2. Rumors and dreams might break my bones

**Hey guys! So I am here again with the second chapter, I would like to thank the people that reviewed my first chapter because that gave a full confidence boost, so thanks for that! I even got favorites!**

 **Also, this story might be a little slow at this chapter, but by the end you should probably find it better, and please note that even though I do my research, Medieval times aren't that easy to write so it might not always be 100% accurate**

 **Enjoy!**

2

After spending an afternoon doing nothing, Agatha gave in to boredom. She decided to go to the trade center, not to actually get something, but to look at stuff and think how crappy they look on a scale of 1 to 10.

Gavaldon traded with other three small villages; Ravenswood, Bloodbrock and Meneresque. Also with two big Kingdoms: Pasha Dunes and Jaunt Jolie. There was interesting stuff from time to time, most of the time paraphernalia that Agatha wouldn't be able to afford.

The walk was longer than to Sophie's house, at least there weren't any hills. Ways were made out of cobblestone, some bushes along the way, and then the actual market started. People yelling and publicizing their product, tents where the people settled, some just spread some cloth on the floor and spread the merchandise. Artisans were in majority most of the time. Agatha just strutted seeing bartering happening, and people buying away. Typical afternoon.

She heard someone yelling something that sounded like: "Henna!" Agatha had no idea what was 'henna', so she followed the voice. There was a red tent with a girl around Agatha's age standing there

"Henna and Kohl!" The girl yelled. She had black hair pulled in low ponytail, a ring in her nose and a tattoo in her neck. She could terrify people just by standing

"What is henna?" Agatha asked, the girl got quiet and then replied

"A dye from a plant. You apply it on your skin and you will get a tattoo, like mine" Agatha looked at it, the fine and intricate patterns of the black colored dye. Agatha would probably get it, if she had something valuable and or if henna was useful.

"Nice" Agatha said and strolled down. The girl started yelling again "Henna! Kohl!"

The best thing about the market was how nobody ever pointed at Agatha or whispered stuff about her like it happened in other places. In the market people was too distracted by everything. Besides, traders always had good stories, even though some were banal. For example, how thieves almost attacked a group of blacksmiths or traders for their goods, this was the most overused she often heard. Agatha spotted Sophie in the crowd, she was looking at silks and other fabrics, she always did the same.

"Do you ever get tired of looking at fabrics?" Agatha asked, Sophie turned around

"You scared me! And no, this is actual silk! Is the best I've seen in ages" Sophie cried

"You always say the same" Agatha argued, while Sophie returned the silk to its place

"Whatever. Did that stuff that I gave you worked?" Sophie asked casually

Agatha nodded, "Seemed like it. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I had finished errands, had nothing to do, so I came. What about you?"

"Same" Agatha said "My mom went to the forest, she doesn't know I left, she probably is still looking for plants"

"I see. Honora is here, you know chatting with her friends, and dad is out working" Sophie said "What else can I do but look at fabrics?"

"I guess that is a good argument" Agatha complied "Want to walk?"

"Sure"

The two girls walked down the cobblestone way. They reached the town's fountain and sat there, like always. Silence was almost absolute, the only sounds were their voices and the water running.

"Aggie, do you ever, just want to leave town?' Sophie asked

"Obviously. But where would I go? That's when it sinks in that I'll probably die here. Some people will probably sneak in a trader's horse. I don't think I would be that desperate." Agatha shrugged. She would probably end up alone, with Sophie being her only friend. She is completely fine with that. Truly

"I feel like I am trapped here, you know? Especially since dad remarried. Besides, I've always felt out of place, like, maybe I'm too…"

"Stuck up?" Agatha offered, Sophie glared at her.

"There isn't really a word" Sophie said

"You're just overthinking because you're bored, like everybody else here" Agatha said simply "I do that"

"If you say so" Sophie shrugged "Do you still write poems?

"Sometimes. I don't feel like it that often." Agatha mostly wrote about dark and sad stuff... The graveyard was inspiring in that sense

"Nifty" Sophie said.

After this, neither of them did not said anything else.

When people think about working at a castle, they usually think of maids, or maybe cooks, but the Royal Guard could also complain of having flawed tasks to do, going around villages looking for a princess was in Tristan's and Chaddick's Top Three Most Degrading Tasks. They had been on the road for two months now, they had visited _thirty_ villages, and according to the King's description, none of the girls were good enough, add to this a crappy food supply and terrible sleeping conditions, and you will get two very irritated guards. One day, as they rode their horses, a very mischievous suggestion rose among the two

"After two months, we _still_ are looking for a goddam princess, why don't they just find a pretty girl? No, let's ask the guards to do the most odious task ever" Tristan complained loudly

"I don't see why he needs a princess anyway, he could just ascend to king, I mean, he does have the power to do so" Chaddick replied

"Maybe we should just go into the nearest village and put a sign that says _"Looking for princess_ " and a bunch of girls will show up, and why not go into big kingdoms instead of second rate towns?"

"Well, I have an idea of how we could take revenge on our dear king" Chaddick said with an evil glint in his eyes, Tristan stopped his horse

"How?"

"We'll ask for the most remote village ever, then, we'll get there, and we'll ask for the ugliest and weirdest girl they have, and we'll take her to the kingdom, that will show them what a terrible idea this is"

"I don't know, we could lose our jobs, or be taken to some torture chamber" Tristan said

"Look, we are never going to find a sweet, smart, educated and _pretty_ girl, nobody has all those qualities, might as well take an ugly one with a good personality" Chaddick argued, Tristan hesitated

"Alright, what is the most remote village we've heard of?" Tristan asked

"I heard once a trader say there was a village extremely deep into the trees, something called Gavaldon"

Chaddick said

"It is shown in the map, not so small maybe?"

And so they set for the unknown Gavaldon

After an eternity, they reached the lousy Gavaldon, this place sure was weird, the place was ridiculously small, the market place was all crammed up and to make things odder, when they saw the coat of Arms of Camelot, at least 50 people threw themselves over Chaddick and Tristan, Tristan spoke with the first woman he saw in the crowd

"Take us to your ugliest and weirdest resident, female between the ages 14 and 17"

She knew exactly to where she would lead them.

After her walk with Sophie, Agatha returned to her place, she took a hidden shortcut through the forests, she did hear a great deal of commotion, even in the isolate forests, she could hear shouts, women, men and children, it all sounded like gibberish to her, she could not distinguish what they said, only that it was obnoxiously loud, Agatha thought it was a riot or something. She decided to ask Sophie later, she would know.

When Agatha was approaching her house, she saw…horses? Stationed in her yard? Agatha did not like this, when there are horses at someplace, it means rich people, rich people means problems. She kept walking as normally as she could, she had a terrible feeling, especially when she noticed the huge Coat of Arms the horses had

 _Could Sophie be right? Could people from Camelot come here?_ Agatha thought, it was a stupid thought, how had they even found out about Gavaldon? What could they be doing at her place? She crossed the door with the worst feeling ever, even though her face was expressionless, it changed when she saw her mom even paler than usual, and two young men standing beside her mother.

"Mom, what is going on?" Agatha asked feeling uneasy

"Agatha of Woods Beyond" one said, the ginger one, "You are to be pledged as Prince Tedros of Camelot's bride"

Agatha froze in the spot.

 _End Chapter 2_


	3. Utter disbelief

**Here's a new chapter! And I want to thank to all of you who have reviewed so far because that is very encouraging for me, I was so afraid to post this but your comments making so worthy posting it!**

 **Also, a special mention to SwanDestiny who edited this chapter! I know is like the billionth time but, thanks a lot for the help!**

 **Enjoy!**

Agatha stood there dumbfounded. The guard's words echoing in her mind "Pledged to marry Prince Tedros of Camelot." Agatha had no clue what to say, she looked at her mother, then at the guards, then at the floor, just like this in pattern of looking at irrelevant objects, finally, sound escaped her chapped lips.

"What!?" Agatha loudly exclaimed, disbelief written all over her face. "B-but but, I am a sixteen years old, I have no manners, I slouch, I am lazy, and have you seen me? If you want a real princess, there are like ten other girls in this village more fitted! Actually, everybody but me is fitted! And what do you mean 'pledged' I never agreed to anything, neither did this guy's parents, nor mine! This is crap!" Agatha finished ranting, crossing her arms over her chest.

The redheaded guard then said, "Look, we understand your concerns, but this is your golden ticket out of this hellhole, and into full luxury! Besides, anybody can be turned into a princess, if they are dedicated, and you are in the perfect age to be married!" Agatha scoffed.

"Yeah right, I don't think marrying a prince is as easy as you freaks are making it sound. That implies being proper, which I am not, actually wanting to marry is another whole issue! And I am sure your prince won't even like me! And don't even get me started on the whole married life, because I know how kingdoms are 'oh you are married! Now you need an heir' and I tell you that is a _huge_ problem!" Agatha shouted, her desire to run away constantly growing.

Who do they think they are? Just because they come from some snobby kingdom does not make them Agatha's authority.

"If I may speak," The other guard said. "I think you have great points, but think about what my fellow guard said: You leave this place, you become a rich person, you gain power and all without moving a finger. Look, even your mother thinks is a great idea." Agatha's eyes turned into even bigger saucers, then she looked at her mom.

"You did what?" She spoke in a low tone, which had shock and a little, but noticeable, bit of an angry undertone to it.

Agatha threw up her hands. "I can't believe it! How could you?!" She intently glared at Callis.

"Agatha, to your room. Now" Callis said in the same tone as her daughter's, and they both moved to the small bedroom.

It didn't even take a second for Agatha to start talking again.

"Why? When? Why?" Agatha asked, confused at her mother's actions.

Her mom then shushed her.

"Listen, I know you want to kill me in a rather bizarre and painful way, but think about it, sooner or later the Elders were going to do the same, but it was going to be the lowest man here, and you know why? Because they think we're witches, so it was either that, or getting killed in some gruesome way, or this, it's the only way of making your life less lousy! Do you understand now?" Callis verbalized.

Agatha still looked unconvinced though, but her mother was right, unfortunately for Agatha and her life.

"I mean, you are right, unfortunately, but is too much to take in! Especially from strangers who burst in your house!" Agatha whispered-shouted, trying to keep her voice slightly quiet.

She still couldn't bring herself to do it. Even if Callis had her reasons (and pretty good ones), she couldn't imagine leaving Gavaldon and becoming a princess, and more importantly, marrying some prince all at the same time. It was too much to take in for one moment.

Callis's eyes were casted downwards as her features softened.

"I know, but I think it is best if you agree to do it, even though I do not completely like it. I do think you could have a better life." Callis said, as Agatha sighed in reply.

"Do we really need to go out again?" Agatha asked, her eyes pleading to stay in her room away from the realization that she was leaving this small village to live life as a princess.

"Yes, we do." Callis replied

Mother and daughter both walked out, and the four people stood awkwardly in an uncomfortable, Agatha cleared her throat and then spoke.

"I accept your demand, and I shall depart with you. But before we go, are you completely sure you want to take me?" Agatha asked once more, half expecting them to say 'No! Of course not! Who do you think we are to take you?'

And if they did say that, Agatha would totally agree with them.

"Splendid. We shall depart tomorrow at sunrise." The blonde guard said, Agatha's eyes widened.

"Wait, tomorrow? Isn't that too soon? What about mental preparation?" The guards chuckled to the girl's annoyance.

It was not only annoyance, but the fact that Agatha had to leave Gavaldon in one day and perhaps never see it again. That meant she had one day to say goodbye to Sophie and then she would find herself riding a carriage on the way to Camelot.

"No, we have been looking a princess for quite a while now, the sooner we bring one, the better." The blonde guard explained. "We will see you at sunrise tomorrow." And with that, the guards left the dilapidated house, leaving Callis and Agatha alone in an awkward silence.

Callis then decided to speak and break the silence.

"Well, that was...interesting, I guess tomorrow will be the last time I see you." Agatha turned to face her, her face expressionless.

"What are your thoughts on this? You seem rather passive about it." Agatha asked her mother. The woman gave a shrug.

"Well, like I told you, on one side it can't be justified for them bursting in and just asking for you to go, and..." Callis paused."It makes me wonder if I'll ever see you again, but I don't want you to rot here without any goal in life."

"Yeah, only difference is that I will rot in full luxury." Agatha said sarcastically, Callis shot her a glare that shut her up.

Just as Agatha was going to her room she remembered that Sophie would faint when she heard the news. She went in a rush for her cape and left in a hurry, neither questioning why the other hadn't spoken.

—

Agatha sprinted to Sophie's house, racing to the door and running as fast as she could. After all, Sophie was her only friend, and it would be worse if Sophie found out from a gossipy woman instead of the actual Agatha. Agatha then halted. What will she say? Agatha thought it over and over, but she decide she should just spit it out.

When she arrived, she walked to the door and knocked, she was received by a beaming Sophie, she said some gibberish along the lines of:

"OhmyGoddidyouseetheCamelotguardsItoldyouso!" She pulled Agatha by her arm and led her to her bedroom to talk, like always, except this time just dampened Agatha even more than usual.

"See? You were saying they wouldn't come and here they are! I wonder if they are going to drop by! I need to look good in case they come, who am I kidding? Of course they are coming! What about my deep red fro—"

"Sophie! Shut up for a minute!" Agatha said, sitting in a state of daze. This was the real deal, she needed to speak up.

Sophie looked stunned for a moment before she hardened her stare.

"Excuse you?" Sophie said.

"Look, you are not marrying a prince" Agatha said, Sophie looks at her with utter disbelief, her face saying "what are you talking about?"

"And why not? How do you know?" Sophie demanded angrily, thinking her friend is implying that she is not princessy enough. Of course Sophie was beautiful and proper and pleasant enough!

"Because I am! The idiotic guards from Camelot received me at my house just a while ago!" Sophie's perfectly plucked, thin eyebrows shot up. "That's right, they chose me out of all people! Trust me, I don't know why, you could've been the best choice, but they. Chose. Me." Agatha took in a deep breath after finishing.

"But why? It makes no sense! You are not a queen material! Did you agree?" Sophie exclaimed, still in genuine amazement.

"I had to, I don't think they would accept a negative answer, not that I wanted to." Agatha said again, Sophie's eyes stayed on the floor.

"Then... what does that mean?" Sophie inquired nervously.

"It means I leave tomorrow, at sunrise." Agatha replied, she felt sick. The realization hit her hard again. Why was she forced to do this? How was it possible that her life gave such an atrocious turn in less than an hour?

Sophie ran and hugged her, then she started sobbing loudly. Agatha was unsure if it was because of her leaving or if it was because Sophie wasn't leaving, but Agatha didn't care as she hugged her back. After a dramatic scene from Sophie and a ton of questions answered with "I don't know", both girls agreed to remain friends, even if they lived so far from each other.

"Please, write as often as you can, invite me to your wedding at least, I'll go even if I have to sneak up into a horse." Sophie said, tears running down her rosy cheeks, as Agatha shuddered at the word "wedding"

"Let's not say 'wedding' in front of me, maybe they'll reject me, I could suggest you as an option." Agatha tried to joke, and Sophie let out a small smile.

"Not only have I lost my friend, but also my chance to be a princess." Sophie sighed.

"I hope you are more affected by the former." Agatha mumbled.

"I will say my goodbye tomorrow at sunrise, I'll be there, I promise."Sophie said.

"I appreciate that very much." Agatha said contemplatively.

Everything would change tomorrow at sunrise. She already hated everybody at Camelot for doing this to her.

She would see her at dawn tomorrow, with the sun rising over the hill and wave goodbye to her one last time.


	4. Departure

As Agatha woke up the next day, she didn't even want to leave her bed. First of all, it was nice and toasty and the real world was full of horrors that Agatha didn't want to face. Her night had consisted of endless tossing and turning, and when she thought she would finally be able to fall asleep, a ridiculous thought came and pestered her, such as, "Why am I doing this?" Obviously, Agatha knew the answer, but now she lost all signs of hope of a peaceful sleep. They had started very rational, until they became the thoughts of a sleep deprived person, such as "Uh... Why?" And then Agatha would turn to only find that her spot wasn't comfortable. Agatha was lucky to get even about two hours of sleep.

Also, she didn't want to go on a trip who knows how many days?! She didn't want to do any of this. But she had to. "Yes..." Agatha thought miserably, "I have to." And then she would repeat the same question of "why do I have to do this?" over and over again, only to repeat the same exact answer. Those annoying, stupid guards said they would be here by dawn, which meant she needed to wake up very early in the morning. She and her mother were up by about five, and Agatha, to say the least, was very tired, and slumped down stairs and dressed in a gown that was borrowed from Sophie and for once, cleaned herself up. Last night, she and her mother had stayed up until ten just packing and discussing what their plan was for tomorrow. Then, she was sleepless and restless, which resulted in a very, very tired Agatha. Agatha only owned a small bag, but the two found a way to pack an amount of clothes they thought sufficient for the trip. Neither were really clear how much time Agatha would be on the road. They just knew it wouldn't be too short.

Agatha and Callis sat in the kitchen in an awkward silence, Agatha staring at her feet and tapping her washed hands against the table in a repetetive beat. Callis then broke it:

"I know I am not the most eloquent person you know, but I want to let you know that I will miss you," Agatha looked up for the first time today to see her mother, her eyes meeting another and she almost saw deep emotions and misery swirling around in the pools of dark brown, which made her feel slightly unhappy, among all the other reasons why.

"I know," Agatha replied quietly, averting her gaze. There were so many words in this language, so many phrases, but none could be used to express how much she wanted to run away from this terrible fate. She felt cheated, she felt used, and it was just stupid. So, so, so stupid. But underneath all that anger and frustration, she was scared. Agatha didn't want to admit it, but she was petrified. All the 'What if's' in her mind were negative, and just she couldn't picture a good ending to this. She knew how royalty works, and she knew women are degraded to just being pretty and elegant, and of course, to give the kingdom an heir. That was what Agatha dreaded the most, a thought that had lingered in her mind all night, well, that and being executed for treason or being too ugly to be a princess. If that last one was even a reason to be executed.

Thoughts swirled around in her mind like a tornado, or a bomb ready to burst. "They're never going to accept me," Agatha thought miserably, wrapping her arms around her like a blanket. She held a lot of fear in her heart, like a burden on her shoulders or a weight trapping her in it all. She was scared. So, so, so, scared.

Someone knocked on the door, they looked at each other as if to say they knew this was the end. Callis got up and opened the door, but it wasn't the guards like Agatha expected, it was Sophie. Agatha felt her heart soar with hope and joy at that moment, seeing Sophie's emerald green eyes meet hers. Agatha knew Sophie would come like she promised, but seeing her here was so much better, like a slight delay of the storm that was about to thunder.

Seeing her for one last time, Agatha thought, and she brushed it off immediately, trying to blink away the tears that were forming.

Sophie was the one girl that didn't judge her by her looks, or her miserable mood. She was there for her from the very beginning, and Agatha hadn't felt happier since. They would take walks together, and though Agatha would act sour and grumpy, Sophie actually brought a ghost of a smile to her features, a true smile of pure joy. Now, Agatha would lose her only friend. Not any friend. Her best friend.

"I know you weren't expecting me, but I told Agatha I would come," Sophie said in a drowsy voice. Sophie was so sleepy that she didn't speak in her usual, chirpy tone, but in a slight monotone one. She rushed to Agatha and hugged her before Agatha could object. Apparently even at five in the morning, Sophie was willing to hug her. Agatha returned the embrace tightly, a few tears escaped her eyes, and a few sobs escaped Sophie.

Agatha wished she could be enveloped into the warmth of the embrace completely, but she had to face reality.

It was only then, it hit completely, fully, that after this, she probably will never see Sophie again.

More tears streamed down her face, and Agatha held Sophie even closer. She was going to lose Sophie.

"You need to write me as soon as you get there," Sophie said quietly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"I will," Agatha said in the same hushed tone, and she vowed to herself she would write to Sophie every week as she pulled back from Sophie's embrace, only then for Sophie to plagued her with questions, just like she had the previous afternoon. "Are you going to be watched all the time? How long until you become a queen? Will you have your portrait in a hall or something?" Agatha gave the same answer repeatedly, "I don't know."

"I don't know." The words seemed to echo in Agatha's mind, just like the unsure that was in front of her. It was like the stars that used to shine so bright in the distance for Agatha, but now dimmed, swerving to a completely different universe.

The atmosphere was especially gloomy, it was as if someone had died and the three of them were mourning together. Nobody said anything, and the silence flooded the room like a waterfall, except silent and lurking.

Suddenly they heard a knock on the door. This was it. No more visitors. The guards were here. Callis got up again, her expression was grim, more than usual. Agatha matched her mother's, while Sophie was simply melancholic. Agatha's heart thumped against her ribcage, a drop of sweat trickled down the back of her neck. Agatha was scared. Definitely scared.

Agatha held on to Sophie one more time, before letting her go to face the guards.

The guards came in, the blond one speaking first.

"Ladies, as you know, we are here to take Agatha with us. You may give each other your goodbyes," He said formally, and Sophie yet again threw her arms around Agatha, she started sobbing softly again.

"I'll miss you so much! I won't forget about you, please don't ever forget me," Sophie said with pleading, miserable eyes, filled with depths of sadness.

"I'll miss you more than you'll ever know." Agatha thought silently, before turning around.

"I know you won't," Agatha pulled back again, then her mother looked at her simply, and Agatha felt another wave of misery course through her.

"Well, don't do anything stupid, don't become an airhead, and please, do write some time, at least to say you are still alive. And please, write a letter as soon as you get there, at least to tell me how horrible it looks. I'll miss you" Agatha hugged after she finished gushing, and then a stream of new tears flowed from her cheeks as she collapsed.

"I will, and don't worry, what kind of disaster could I make?" Agatha replied, Callis grinned at her reply for once, before returning to her mourning mood. Agatha turned to the guards.

"Well, are we leaving or not?" Agatha asked, feeling her skin shiver as if I spider crawled on it.

"Are you ready?" The red haired asked. Agatha nodded in reply, giving a final wave to both women, her mother with a sad smile, Sophie quietly sobbing. And that was the final look she gave to the house that had been hers for nearly seventeen years.

The guards seemed to have come ready, having a carriage with two horses pulling it right outside their door. The best way Agatha could describe it was that it looked like a box. A box with windows and a door to the side. It was a dark shade of brown with some ochre details, like the dresses Sophie owned and the embroidery on the sides.

"Well, we will be traveling for approximately 14 days to 17 days, and that is my shortest estimate. I expect we will be fine," Said the blond one, standing next to Agatha.

"Great. More than two weeks" Agatha complained bitterly, casting her last look at Gavaldon before turning away forever, a new future set for her. And despite her complaining self, Agatha was sorrowful inside.

"Hey, we weren't expecting to go so far," The red haired said in reply to her complaint, slight disbelief at the edge of his voice.

Agatha was tired of thinking of him as the "red haired guard", or the thinking of the other guard as the "blonde one". At least it was a distraction from the pain inside herself.

"Will I ever know your names?" Agatha asked.

"Oh right, sorry. Well, I am Chaddick," The blonde one said. Then he pointed at the other guard. "And he is Tristan."

"So, the plan is to make me queen right?" Agatha asked yet another question.

"Well, at some point you will be one," Tristan said.

"You do realize that goes against any protocol set by society? Princes don't marry peasants, nor vice versa, it is unheard of. And what will this prince even say when he sees me? Because I don't think he will find me very appealing, at least physically," Agatha verbalized, then realizing she was probably annoying asking so many questions.

"Well, you do have a point there," Tristan said, getting slightly nervous.

"And if they don't like me, the fault will be yours, because you technically chose me. Another question, why did the prince didn't come here? You would think he would come," Agatha asked, an edge to her voice could be heard.

"Look, they need to stick with you, after all, money was invested in this, and they're not wasting money in this again. And Prince Tedros happens to be very busy preparing to be king," Tristan answered again. If he was annoyed, he was hiding it well.

"So there is no chance of replacing me? Pity. When will he becoming king?" Agatha inquired curiously, Tristan helping her onto the carriage at the same time.

"We don't know yet," Chaddick said. "We do know you guys will be getting married shortly after you arrive,"

Agatha's eyes widened, but then she recovered and returned to her normal state in a flash.

"Great," Agatha said sarcastically, feeling her heart pounding within herself.

"Well, don't sound so excited." Tristan mumbled, turning then to Chaddick "She sure is not what a typical princess is, total opposite of all we've seen."

'What makes you say that, the hair, the clothes or perhaps the 'lack of manners'" Agatha retorted, she was so done already, everything seemed petty at the moment.

"Well, all of it actually, but the part about not wanting to marry is rather unusual." Tristan replied, Agatha rolled her eyes for what seemed the millionth time today.

"Getting married in general, is just a scam, an opportunity so people can get richer by affinity. Lovely, just lovely." Agatha snorted, she always heard people saying how beautiful marriage is, the sanctity of it, but really, people just want to get richer. Rarely did she hear about a marriage of true love.

"You know, that is a peculiar view on marriage, yet it is very true," Tristan said, sighing slightly as he looked outside the window.

Chaddick snickered, and whispered something into Tristan's ear as he muttered a "shut up!".

"Even you agree with it, which means I'm probably right" Agatha mumbled, wishing she knew what they were talking about as both guards mounted their horses.

"So, do you know how to read and write?" Chaddick asked her out of the blue.

"I do, but my calligraphy isn't great," Agatha replied, she supposed he asked because peasants rarely can do either.

"I don't think you are going to have such problems adapting, I think you'll be better than what we thought." Tristan said "One less thing you'll have to learn."

"Well, and then ten thousand more things to learn." Agatha thought. "How to be pretty, if I could manage it, etiquette, manners, elegance... Why did they choose me? Of all people?"

"Why did you pick me?" Agatha blurted out, this was another question that pestered her repeatedly all night, even at the moment, she couldn't figure it out.

Tristan and Chaddick snickered, then Tristan replied.

"Well, we did it as a joke, get the ugliest girl in the town as a way of revenge for this odious task. Then see his reaction. But now I'm starting to think it was a good idea. You seem educated, at least," Agatha just rolled her eyes, she knew it had to be a joke there was no reason to choose her.

"God forbid you seriously saw something in me," Agatha said bitterly, she assumed it could be a possibility, but hearing it made it sound even worse. If that was possible.

"One last question," Agatha said "Was there any sort of 'requisites' to follow? You know, for a princess?"

Tristan and Chaddick remained silent for a minute, but Chaddick replied the question.

"Well, in some way, yes. Tedros wanted a princess who would be beautiful inside and out, but mainly the inside. Then, he said in a softer voice, "Princesses have been falling for him for a long time, but they never got past his fortune or appearance. That's why Tedros wanted someone who was better than just beautiful on the outside. He wanted someone who would understand himself for... him."

"You already messed up with that one." Agatha mumbled, Chaddick continued without hearing her.

"He wanted someone who seems genuine, and someone who will love for who he is, rather than just his looks or his crown,"

Agatha remained silent after that.

And with that, the carriage started moving.

The road to the blasted Camelot was going to be long. Terribly, horribly, awfully long


	5. Chapter 5

After countless sleepless nights, bad food, strange kingdoms and towns, weird encounters (Agatha was horrified, stunned, shocked, and unable to get mental images out of her mind) and occasional bad weather, the trio was finally nearing Camelot. For Agatha, this gave her mixed feelings and a variety of nervous motions. She dreaded arriving, she dreaded having to learn how to be a princess, and obviously, she dreaded having to get married. Agatha hated everything about this plan, she hated absolutely ever stupid part of it. The only good thing about arriving was the fact that she wouldn't have to sleep in uncomfortable places, and that was the only good thing Agatha could find, but at least it was something.

"I wish I could avoid this whole thing," Agatha dreamed wistfully. She thought she would die alone at Gavaldon, with Sophie being her only friend, and well, to say the least, fate had punched her in the face, and hard. Agatha would most likely never going to see Sophie nor Callis again (This still hadn't completely sunken in yet), she somewhat missed Gavaldon, she had to become beautiful or she was dead and become a proper, pleasant princess as well, and for heaven's sake, she was going to marry someone she doesn't even know, and the prince of Camelot at that!

The estimate Chaddick had given had been inaccurate, seeing it took them 25 days just to even come near Camelot (Agatha started the process of going insane), of course, bad weather had been a factor for their delay. Agatha thought maybe she was a jinx, neither guard listened to that, and just continued riding on their horses like she hadn't said a single thing.

It was obvious to them that they were nearing the beautiful kingdom of Camelot as the landscape around them changed slowly and eventually, but drastically as well. The trees decreased in number, the amount of people they saw increased, and instead of dirt and grass, the ground was now cobblestone, even more buildings and constructions were seen as they drew nearer, and it even seen as if the air was purer and fresher as well. Even though she didn't want to be here, Agatha had to admit it was a fine place to live in, and much more prosperous than the small, middle of nowhere town of Gavaldon. They decided to pass through the commercial zone as Agatha peeked through her small window to see. It was arranged like Gavaldon's bazaar, but it was fifty times grander. There were a lot of traders like in any other market, and of course, clients everywhere, but everything looked more expensive than it did in Gavaldon, and even the people looked snobbier. The fabrics looked more refined and elegant, a big majority had embroidery, some even had jewels as details. The pottery laid out had intricate details, it looked as if they had been painted with the finest brush they had, some merchants even had jewels in their display. The bazaar looked more appropriate for higher classes, Agatha doubted that middle classes bought anything here.

What remained the same in both Gavaldon and Camelot, was the admirers. It didn't matter if they were low class peasants or nobles. Many people swarmed closer to the carriage, just to see who was inside of it. Agatha tried to hide to avoid being seen (not wanting to start rumors of Camelot's new princess being ugly), they would see her plenty, and they just had to wait. Besides, Agatha didn't want to have rocks thrown at her for her ugliness.

"Do people always acts like this when they see a carriage go by?" Agatha asked, somewhat annoyed at the cheering and shouting to both guards.

"Not really, they must know who we are, and most importantly, who we are bringing," Chaddick replied in the smooth guard-like voice of his.

Agatha sighed. Sometimes she thought that Chaddick and Tristan acted too guard and royal like, surely there was some other side to them? Of course, she was going to be the future queen, and yet, Agatha wasn't able to comprehend the meaning of it all... At least not yet.

Miles after this, the architecture became more extravagant. There were more columns in the buildings, higher and more detailed, Corinthian, Ionic and Doric, all in the same building. Arches were seen as well, in so many different types as the columns. Even the windows in the buildings were more in depth, some even had mosaics in them. Agatha marveled the architecture from her carriage's window, noting the details and the magnificent pillars and buildings.

"Even the architecture is overwhelming in this place," Agatha thought, overcome with anxiety and amazement. This was only the outside of Camelot, what would the castle be like? Agatha's heart started to pound out of her chest at the thought, panic starting to flow into her mind.

While in deep thought, Agatha was interrupted by the sight of the most significant, beautiful, amazing construction she had seen in her whole life.

The castle was made of cream colored bricks, three main towers stood firmly and reaching the heavens and the stars, each having a blue banner waiting in the wind, while other structures laid behind the façade. There were stained glass windows, and shone in the light beautifully. The bricks seemed to be seamless, yet she could tell one apart from another. The roofs of the tower were a light sky blue, their tops pointed where the flags waved proudly in the wind. Agatha took it all in with hungry yet reluctant eyes, knowing that this was her fate. By every second, the view became clearer, they were just seconds away from crossing a castle.

Agatha felt sick to her stomach, she felt slightly nauseous, and it seemed as if this carriage was becoming smaller by every passing second, as if its walls were trapping Agatha. She had heard of panic attacks before, and Agatha was sure she was experiencing one right now. She was definitely going to go insane sooner or later.

"You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay", Agatha tried to soothe herself, but was a failed attempt. It seemed as if every worry in her head was running through her brain, spiraling like a reckless storm. She felt herself trembling like a blizzard just hit her, and soon she was shaking, bringing her face to her hands, shaking her head. How could she do this? She can't be a princess! What was she thinking coming here?

 _"Marriage. Away from everything I know. Learn to behave. Be pretty? Completely alien to this. Propriety. STOP IT!"_ Agatha's thoughts became even more incessant, unable stop herself.

Ahead of her, the castle was surrounded by tall grey bricks with two towering, looming gates that seemed to be made of gold with fancy designs with it curling metal flawlessly in the center slid open without a squeak, letting their carriage pass by. Agatha was amazed and sick at the same time, and she silently sent a prayer that this wasn't going to kill her.

"Oh gosh," Agatha kept on thinking. "I'm almost there, I'm almost there, I'm going to die..."

"We are going to reach the moat in a couple seconds," Chaddick announced, Agatha felt even worse, if that was possible.

She just wanted to jump out of the carriage and run away. She can't run away from fate though, and she can't run away from royalty.

"Strange," She thought for a moment, pushing her panicking to the back of her mind. "A lot of girls would be throwing up with excitement at this point."

Agatha's eyes darkened. "But I'm not like most girls."

A drawbridge made of planks of wood was lowered, making it possible for the carriage to cross the main gates. The moat beneath them seemed chunky and mossy, green with crocodiles snapping with their jaws, ready to feast. Agatha shivered, glad about the one thing that she could avoid.

Just as they were entering, another guard came in sight.

"Nicholas, take the horses to the stables. We have a princess to escort, "Tristan said, the said Nicholas guy pointed and asked:

"Her?"

Agatha couldn't blame him. Everyone would be so surprised to see her, Agatha, a "weird, emaciated ugly witch", be a princess. Agatha sunk her head into her hands, closing her eyes and wishing it to all go away.

"Yes, now, you and Chaddick go. I'll take her" Chaddick left for the stables while Tristan got off his horse and then proceeded to open the door of the carriage. He helped Agatha to get down as well, and finally, he got her bag with her belongings.

"I could carry that you know," Agatha observed.

"No way, princess, I am at your service," Tristan said grinning, Agatha grimaced at the word "princess" and Tristan's grinning face.

"Technically I am not a princess," Agatha retorted, crossing her arms.

"Not yet, my lady, not yet." Tristan said. "Now, follow me, you're in for a treat." And Tristan giddily smiled.

Agatha stared at the giant opening in front of her. She had to admit, she was completely ignorant of castles, so she just walked looking at the building in awe.

The floor seemed to be made of different colored stones, and Agatha took in colors she never dreamt existed before. The walls were made of stone, but Agatha guessed it was because this was where the carriages entered. It all gleamed and shined despite there being no sunlight, and Agatha never thought she would be able to see such a sight.

"We will be entering what we call the Inner Court, which looks kind of a plaza, but inside of a castle," Tristan explained. The 'inner court' did look like he described, it had a floor made of bricks the same color of the castle's, with fancy wells sprouting out water at the corners. Some people were getting water at the wells in the corners and they all looked like servants, judging from what they wore and the task they were doing.

The two kept walking until they reached two brown, wooden doors, a knocker was featured, its metal tarnished.

"We've reached what we call a 'keep', which is the main tower of the castle," Tristan explained, he signaled someone to open the door, while Agatha looked at the 'keep'. It was a tower with walls of silver and floors of polished stone that seemed so clean that Agatha could see her reflection, it seemed at least 30 meters high. Then, someone let them in. Another guard. This one had black hair and strange violet eyes.

"About time you arrived, it has been almost three months," He said grumpily as the three went into the keep. It was a very dark structure, with barely any torches to light it, and it smelled of wood and incense, an odd combination. The floors all covered by a royal blue carpet, and the guard took them to the right and went up spiral staircases, and said to Tristan:

"Almost three months and you bring this? Wow, you were desperate," He snorted.

"I know she's not pretty, but she has a working brain, and won't try to take over the throne," Tristan replied coolly.

"I hope you do realize 'she' is standing right here," Agatha said annoyed at the guards, yet scared for her ugliness and that the nobles would throw up their heads and laugh at her.

"You are so lovely, aren't you?" The guard laughed as Agatha narrowed her eyes.

"You haven't seen anything," Agatha shot back.

"Agatha, this is Aric, he is a guard just like me," Tristan said, Aric said something but Agatha was unable to hear it, but still yearned to know what he said.

"Probably just 'You sure brought un ugly duckling',"Agatha thought unhappily.

They kept going up the stairs until they reached a third floor and took a left. This was a much nicer and royal part, with the floors red and gold and the walls were also a deep shade of red, with several paintings to adorn them. There were a lot of doors that Agatha didn't know what they could hide, and what they concealed within them. She just assumed they were bedrooms, but they could be something flashy, like a room exclusively for jewels or something like that.

"Why so many doors?" Agatha asked.

"Castles usually have a lot of bedrooms, most are unused, but if they are holding an important event and invite many people, they come in rather convenient," Tristan explained

"What kind of events?" Agatha inquired again, Tristan shrugged.

"Balls, coronations, weddings, festive occasions like those," Tristan said.

"That many people come for a royal wedding?" Agatha asked yet another question. She couldn't imagine having a wedding with like 400 guests, she wondered how many people came to these ones. She could picture crowds going crazy about a wedding, maybe nearing the castle just to see the newlyweds. Agatha rolled her eyes at that thought, she should imagine that an advantage of being part of royalty it was that people wouldn't be allowed to go that close to her.

"Well, marriages often bring people from foreign kingdoms, just to see how the couple looks, see if they look powerful," Tristan shrugged again after this. Apparently Tristan didn't care enough, or he just didn't know much.

Agatha wondered if they would let her invite her mother and Sophie, in her opinion, they should, after all family should be allowed. While Agatha pondered this, she thought of a way to invite Sophie. Perhaps she could say Sophie was a sort of cousin or something, maybe it could work.

"Not sure about that." Agatha thought. "Why would I be related to someone such as Sophie? Sophie, so beautiful and lovely?"

The trio came to a sudden stop. They had arrived to two big wooden doors. Aric got the keys and opened them, only to reveal the most luxurious chambers Agatha had yet to see, and also the biggest was a huge balcony to the side of the room, the walls were painted a light shade of blue with swirls of light gold, with the having a vibrant green carpet, there was also a chimney made of red bricks, that section had walls adorned with blue and gold ceramic tiles, there was a mahogany desk in front of the imposing window. A small night table was next to the bed, it was round and had two saints on top of it. But Agatha's favorite thing, was the bed. It had a wooden frame, with sheets a dark shade of red, bedposts at every corner of the bed, with delicate tulle curtains.

"Well, this will be your room for a while, at least until you get married," Tristan said, dropping her stuff on the floor, Agatha almost ran to the bed, she was about to make herself comfortable.

And then a horrible thought struck her. Until the wedding?! Agatha managed to push the thought aside, trying to think of something else.

"As much as I would love for you to sleep, you actually need to meet the prince and the king." Agatha's face fell, and a crestfallen look took over. Why can't she do anything? This stupid royal jerks cannot be more annoying than this. And meeting the king and the prince... What would they think?

"Why now?" She asked, followed by a very loud groan.

"Look, I know you probably aren't too happy right now," Tristan began.

"I could kick you right now, but go on," Agatha replied sulkily.

"But I am under orders to do so, and they've been waiting a long time for this, they must be very anxious, just like you," Tristan finished.

"I can assure you, they are not more anxious than me right now. Besides, I am pretty sure I look miserable right now, well, more than usual." Agatha said, she had seen her reflection in a vase, she had eye bags as dark as her eyes, her hair was greasier than ever, seeing as it had been a week since she had washed it. The shirt she was wearing was so dirty, it was gray…and it used to be white.

"Shouldn't I at least clean up?" Agatha asked, weary of her reflection.

Tristan rubbed the back of his neck, taking in the appearance of Agatha. "Nonsense!"

Agatha continued to lower her head, sure the king would have her executed for her lack of beauty.

And so they left the room, and to the left, went downstairs, walked past who knows how many rooms, while Agatha mentally cursed this whole place. The guards, the king, the prince, whoever who had this idea, and the kingdom itself. Now she was probably going to be studied like an animal. Or worse. She groaned again. Sophie was so much more cut out of this.

"Am I going to have maids and servants?" Agatha blurted out, she saw one passing by and wondered if she would have that treatment.

"Of course, no princess lacks maids," Tristan replied, Agatha nodded, but then stopped. Having maids and servants? Agatha wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

They stopped. Two doors never felt as intimidating as the ones in front of her right now.

Agatha bit her lip, feeling her heart trying to pound out of her chest and she felt herself shake.

Agatha shook her head. She was going to die she was going to die she was going to die, for heaven's sake, she was not cut out for this! Agatha is going to die!

"Are you ready?" Tristan asked, grin on his face. Agatha wanted to slap it out his face, but instead mumbled a tenth of her thoughts of: "I'm going to die."

"No,"

The doors opened. A single thought crossing her mind.

She was doomed.

 **They're finally in Camelot! I know you guys probably want to see Agatha and Tedros together in the same room for the first time, but I held it off one more chapter. Just one more! I think that'll be interesting for all of us**

 **Also, if you could:**

 **Tell me what you thought about this chapter**

 **What do you think will happen next chapter? Comment your predictions!**

 **Also, just one more week until the Last Ever After!**


	6. Not such a magnificent impression

**Hey guys! I finally updated the most anticipated chapter! I know all of you wanted me to update quickly, so I did my best. Like always, the lovely SwanDestiny reviewed this, so thanks!**

 **Also, this is the longest chapter so far! I think you ought to enjoy it. Enough with the talking, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

When those doors opened, Agatha knew she was basically dead. A rush of nervousness washed through her, and she didn't know what to expect from anybody, having no idea of what they'd think of an ugly girl like her for the prince's bride.

She felt trepidation crawl through her skin like a flesh eating bug, which was not a pleasant thought. Agatha felt like hiding in a hole, and letting the hole swallow her so she doesn't ever have to face this place again.

"What was I thinking?" Agatha thought again.

More importantly, what are they thinking? What would they find in her?

"Well, they aren't going to find you beautiful, that's for sure," Agatha thought sullenly.

Agatha's first view was that this room was as big as hers, only that it had three couches instead of a bed. The walls had blue tapestry with golden swirls, along with some paintings here and there. She found painting of roses and castles, and found them more reassuring to look at then the king and the prince. It also had a chimney at the back of the room, with a small fire burning the wood.

The moment she so dreaded has arrived. Oh no, oh no oh no oh no.

"Your Majesty, your Highness, this is Agatha of Woods Beyond, your future wife and queen," Tristan announced, Agatha's stomach sunk when he said those words.

Tearing her gaze from the comforting painting, and for the first time, Agatha looked at the two men standing in front of her. The king looked as if he was in his late thirties, with handsome features including blonde hair and charming blue eyes. The king was wearing a dark blue coat over a white tunic, not too fancy but still exquisite. He held an expression of surprise mixed with confusion, (not that Agatha blamed him), but quickly covered it up with a flashing smile. The person next to him was like a carbon copy, with the same blonde hair, same blue eyes, andeven the same expression of confusion on his face, and the only difference being that he was at least twenty years younger. He wore black breeches, a white linen shirt with a light blue vest over it.

"No, no, no no no no no no no!" Agatha kept on thinking repeatedly in her mind. "This is not right. I do not belong here. Take me away, please, please!"

But Agatha's prayers were not answered.

The four stood in an awkward silence, everybody unsure of what to say. Agatha was clear that she would only speak if she was asked to, and was starting to doubt if she could still speak in her state of being paralyzed. Her nerves were eating her alive, and she could feel pairs of eyes looking at her in confusion like lasers ready to burn her. And why wouldn't they? She knew she looked terrible, and looked like anything but a princess.

Thankfully, the king finally broke the extremely, awkward silence.

"Ah great! Is my pleasure to meet you, Agatha, I am Arthur, this is my son, Tedros, you guys will be getting married," The king (or Arthur, Agatha really didn't know how to refer to him) solemnly said, with a tint of disappointment in his voice.

'Really? Didn't know that' Agatha thought sarcastically. She wanted to say it, but decided it probably would be seen as rude, and deep down, she preferred to not make such a bad impression, well, worse than what it already was.

"We've been waiting for you quite a while, take a seat, and make yourself comfortable," King Arthur said, taking a seat in a burgundy couch, Tedros sat next to him, Agatha took a seat by herself in a red recliner, unsuringly seating herself in the plush chair,

"Tristan, you are excused, you may leave now," The king dismissed Tristan as Tristan left quickly, leaving the three alone.

Agatha shifted uncomfortably in her seat, squirming in her spot of ultimate doom. By every passing moment, reality became even more surreal. Last month, she had been the town freak, and now, she was sitting in front of the king of Camelot, and in front of the prince whom was to marry her. That thought still made her incredibly uncomfortable, and really, really nervous.

"So, where are you from?" The king asked Agatha.

Agatha felt herself freeze for a moment. Oh gosh, what would she say? She came from a town that couldn't be found and was basically very, very far from Camelot and pratically didn't exist? Sure, in fairytales these were the villages where princes would find a beautiful, foreign princess, but this was anything but a fairytale. Anything but that.

"Um, Gavaldon," Agatha managed the words with difficulty, the lump in her throat remaining. She felt extremely pathetic and awkward, and felt as if anything to come out from her would be as bad as that.

"And, where is that?" the king asked, Agatha looked down, knowing that shrugging probably wasn't a very elegant and graceful act.

"Really unclear, I just know it is really far," She replied coolly,she guessed it was south of Camelot, but she never really knew, and didn't want to give an inaccurate answer.

"How long did it take you to arrive?" The prince finally spoke, Agatha's eyes shifted to his briefly, but then she quickly cast them down.

"A very long 25 days," Agatha answered softly, she could feel his eyes studying her, and it was unnerving, which was the best word Agatha could use.

Probably taking in all the ugliness' Agatha thought, as she also thought of how much Sophie would've liked this place, how much she would be fawning over this prince, how much she would love absolutely everything about this scheme. How much any prince would've prefer Sophie over her. And how much Tedros would probably immediately fall for Sophie instead of looking at her with what she probably assumed was a disgusted expression.

"It is very far then, I never really had heard of it," Tedros commented.

"Nobody really cares about it," Agatha said. It sounded slightly cynical but it was true.

"Well, as you know, you are going to be getting married, andI will find out what date will be a good one, but I think in three weeks will be fine, or perhaps a month," King Arthur announced.

Three weeks?! That was not enough time, it was too quick, not enough time to mentally prepare! Agatha was screaming inside, a feeling inside of her telling that anything, anything was better than this. Agatha supposed it was coming, but she just didn't know it could be such a tangible reality.

"Isn't that a bit quick!?" Agatha blurted before thinking, but she couldn't help it, three weeks was less time than what it had taken her to arrive to this castle! If that was the time frame, her mother and Sophie wouldn't make it. She needed them there. She quickly covered her mouth with a hand, knowing that mere commoners like her wouldn't ever spit out something in front of royalty's face.

The king let out a chuckle, the most annoying thing he could've done at that moment, as Agatha felt the impulse of sending a glare, but decided against it. She still had to leave a good impression, or whatever of an impression she had left.

"Dear, we have been waiting for you for almost two years. We've been searching so much, we thought we wouldn't find anyone. You are our last and only chance. I could extend it to four weeks—"

"Please do," Agatha interrupted him, she felt herself blushing with embarrassment. She couldn't help interrupting, even though she knew she shouldn't have. Then she thought about his words, last and only chance? It was like saying 'You are not allowed to mess up, so don't do it'. Agatha lowered her head. She was caught in a trap to marry a handsome prince with a fortune that will soon rule over a prosperous country. How Sophie would've loved to taken Agatha's place...

"Well, someone's not very eager," The king mused to himself, Agatha's face went a whole darker shade of red. Even if it was true, it wasn't her only motive.

"I mean, I would like my mother to come," Agatha explained. "And what about me being proper and all that?"

"It is a point to consider, we'll see what we can do for your guests," King Arthur said. "I will leave you two alone, so you can get to know each other better." He got up and left. Great. Just great.

Agatha wanted to scream in frustration, feeling sick again for what it seemed the millionth time today. She didn't want to be left alone with Tedros! No! No! This could not actually be happening! She was already awkward, and this was just throwing wood to the fire. But at the same time, she held an aversion towards him, she wanted to scream at him, demand why he had come up with this plan, but found herself unable.

"I take it you were a peasant at your village, right?" Tedros asked her

"Well, I don't look like a noble, do I?" Agatha sarcastically said, her eyes looking defiantly at his.

"Point received," She heard him mumble, his eyes scanning her for a second.

"I know I look terrible, so you can say it, and I know you're thinking it," Agatha verbalized, a little edge to her voice could be heard, as she saw him rub the back of his neck.

"I really didn't know what to expect," Tedros replied calmly, disturbingly calmly for Agatha. There had to be something about this that bothered him.

"Doesn't this bother you? Do you really want to marry me? Because I can tell you right now, I am really displeased with the whole marriage thing," Agatha said, a mix of anger and frustration hinted in her voice.

"Of course it bothers me. Not only I am marrying a stranger but a peasant whose origins are unknown to me. And just so you know, this wasn't my idea, so don't even think of blaming me about it." Tedros expressed, a look of pure frustration on his face. Agatha raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Then whose was it?" Agatha demanded, she got off her recliner, standing up, arms folded. What idiot had this idea? She assumed the king, but hey, who knows?

"An idiotic adviser, he thought that peasants could be better people, or maybe would be a better fit. My father agreed," Tedros shot a look at the door where the king had left. "I had no say in this, so I just had to accept it." Tedros explained, Agatha just looked at him for a second, then glued her eyes to the tapestry.

"And he's an adviser? Wow," Agatha snorted, "You know, a peasant could've been even worse than a princess, all because she would just want the luxury of having a prince and being rich. I guess he really is an idiot," Tedros looked at her puzzled, eyebrows raised in shock.

"Then, what makes you so different from everybody?" Tedros asked while getting off the couch, Agatha let out another snort.

"That I have absolutely no interest neither in you, your fortune, nor being a princess. Is that enough, your Highness?" Agatha mocked unabashed, the question had sounding so pretentious, and even arrogant. She saw Tedros glaring at her, as Agatha just shrugged.

"So lovely already," Tedros sneered, as Agatha glared at him, sourly, she approached him and said:

"Look, even though it seems like it, not every girl wants you, me being that freak, I actually feel disgusted about having to marry such a snob," She said this in a harsh tone, while she jabbed her finger against his chest and narrowed her eyes. He towered over her, but she stood just as if they were the same height.

"I feel bad about having to marry such a freak like you," Tedros shot back, just as harsh as Agatha's tone, as her glared intensified. Agatha would've slapped him right there, but she actually appreciated her life, as crappy as it was, and she didn't want to be executed for assaulting a prince.

"Well, we might get married, but you know what? I could never love someone like you," Agatha said in a quiet tone, a whisper as sharp as a winter breeze.

"Why would I care if you did?" Tedros returned cuttingly, neither breaking eye contact.

"Why don't you leave? You're obviously done with me," Agatha growled through gritted teth, until she stormed out of the room, leaving Tedros standing alone in the huge room. Who did that girl think she was? To mock him like that, with no shame at all. He had never been treated like that by a girl. And even though he would refuse it, she had hurt his ego like nobody had ever done.

'Chaddick and Tristan are going to die, just for picking her,' Tedros thought darkly.

* * *

Agatha was fuming when she left the room. What a jerk was that prince! So pretentious, and so arrogant. It disgusted her, how could people even want them together? What did he think? That she was going to instantly fall for him? As if, Agatha had things way more important to do.

What still had her in a daze was the king's kindness. He looked at her confused, but not angry at her for being repulsing, he didn't seem as if he wanted to kill her, and those words about her being the last chance, it was obvious what they meant, but they still echoed in her mind. If only Tedros were the same in kindness as well as their looks.

Agatha found her way back to her room, with a lot difficulty, but she managed to find it. She opened the doors to see two women in her chambers.

One looked her age, long, chestnut hair, freckles all over her face, big green eyes, she had a toothy grin on her face. The other one had long, black hair, droopy, grey eyes, a serious expression plastered on her face, she looked a little bit older, maybe in her 20's. They both wore the same uniform, long sleeved, white shirt with a brown vest over it and a long yellow skirt.

"We excuse for our sudden arrival, my lady, my name is Arietta." The brunette said and curtsied.

"And I am Nerida, we are here to serve you, my lady," She said and then curtsied. Agatha stood at her door awkwardly. Serve her? Maids? What could they be doing here?

"Pleasure to meet you, my name is Agatha, I don't know if you knew that or not," Agatha said, taken aback by being called 'my lady', she wasn't really a lady. "You don't need to call me 'my lady', it is quite strange."

"We do need to, royal orders demand to do so," Arietta spoke again. "I am here to take measurements for your dresses, and I also brought a few so you can wear some meanwhile, I was told you had a dainty figure, so they might fit."

"And I am here to do your hair and makeup, just as a test, seeing as it is your first day and everything, we don't feel the need to do so much." Nerida then said, as Agatha simply stared at both of them with shock. Dresses mad especially for her? Makeup? She had never worn makeup, not even powder, and she just hoped they wouldn't exceed over the amount necessary.

"Well, I guess you can start doing what you were tasked for," Agatha said, feeling unsure about this as Arietta helped her undress, Agatha felt extremely uncomfortable while she did this, she had never had a maid to help her undress and dress, she never really liked her body, and even though the maids looked decent, to say the least, she still felt as if they were going to say something about how gaunt she was. She decided to add this to her list of awkward moments, which after today, was getting as long as the road to Gavaldon.

Arietta took her measurements, which proved to be even more awkward, yet another thing she had never done before, and thankfully, Arietta was diligent in her work, so she concluded her task quickly and efficiently, she had Nerida write down the exact measurements in a piece of parchment.

"Why can't you just look for dresses that are similar to my fit? There is no need for an exact one," Agatha asked, she didn't understand the fuss over dresses, they literally just cover you, so what is so great about them? Why did they need to fit you perfectly? What if you gained weight?

"Well, I don't think you would want your wedding dress just to be some dress that wasn't made for you," Arietta giggled, Agatha stared at her, eyes wide with shock, without knowing what to say, until finally something came out.

"Y-you are making my...wedding dress?" Agatha squeaked. She still had problems saying the word 'wedding', yet this girl said it like the word 'blue' or 'sure'. They were already starting with preparations? She just got here!

"Yes! I am so excited! I finally get a big project, and it is so important!" Arietta gushed with excitement while helping Agatha put on one of the dresses she brought. It was a dark shade of blue, it had laces on the chest area, with white and gold details sewn on like golden leaves on the long sleeves. Arietta tied it tightly at the back, and Agatha couldn't even breathe properly.

"Look at you! You look so pretty!" Arietta babbled next to her, taking Agatha in front of a mirror she hadn't even noticed was there. Agatha had never worn anything so luxurious, and it did look better than the dirty clothes she had been wearing, but it didn't really feel right. She felt like a buffoon playing the princess, yet this Arietta girl said she looked pretty. Agatha had never had someone say that to her.

"Maybe I'm actually not that ugly." Agatha thought, then shaking her head in disbelief.

"You're joking, right?" Agatha asked Arietta, as the maid smiled in return.

"I am serious, I think you look really nice, and that you should wear that for the rest of the day," Arietta said cheerily as Agatha winced, she couldn't even breathe in this evil dress!

"My lady, I don't mean to be rude, but I think I should brush your hair," Nerida said quietly as Agatha complied. Nerida pulled on all the knots Agatha had. There were so many knots as there was hair.

"My lady, when was the last time you brushed your hair?" Nerida asked, embarrassment could be heard in her voice.

"I honestly don't know," Agatha mumbled in reply. The last 25 days had all been a blur, she hadn't had time to take very personal care of her, which was very humiliating to admit, especially when they're taking you to this kind of place. Agatha was sitting in her desk, Nerida was still brushing her hair, while Arietta just stood next to them.

"You have a really beautiful hair color, my lady," Nerida marveled, Agatha blushing deep red. Were they seeing the same Agatha? Where did the so many compliments come from?

"Thanks," Agatha said quietly, she never received many compliments, so she had no idea how to take them.

"Then again," Agatha thought. "I never really cleaned myself up, and I never really wore anything but shapeless lumps of black dresses.

"So, we heard you met the prince, how was it?" Arietta giggled as Agatha's face fell, it had taken them a while to ask about the subject, but she should've saw it coming.

"Well, he was a rather arrogant and stuck up, if you ask me," Agatha sneered, she heard Arietta gasped, and even Nerida raised her eyebrows. Agatha wasn't surprised with their reactions, after all, she knew people pretty much kissed the floor where royalty walked, and she didn't expect anything different from the two maids.

"You're the very first person I hear say that," Arietta said surprised, Agatha shrugged at the comment, Arietta kept talking:

"That is unheard of, too. Everybody says Prince Tedros is usually kind to people," Nerida spoke after that, looking up from Agatha's hair.

"Did you say anything 'offending'?" Nerida asked Agatha.

"Does saying 'Your Highness' mockingly count as offending?" Agatha inquired, she saw Arietta giggle, Nerida let out a small laugh.

"It does, actually. I bet that's where everything went wrong, am I right?" Nerida asked, this time smiling along with Arietta.

"Maybe," Agatha said, a small grin crossing her features, the maids laughed even more.

Perhaps, she just made her first friends.

"I mean, didn't he want someone who saw more than looks and fortune? You're obviously not interested in any of that," Arietta reasoned, and even Agatha had to agree with her.

"I'm not interested in any of that, nor in anything related to being a princess," Agatha said, suddenly bitter again.

"Why not?" Nerida paused, "If I may ask." Nerida inquired, her tone respectful like it had been the entire time, as Agatha shook her head.

"Because, look at me. I don't look like a princess, and I not made for being one either. And I have no interest in always being the center of attention, and I don't want to get married, because it's too much responsibility. And other millions of reasons," Agatha explained. After meeting Tedros, she was even less interested in this. Being tied to him until the other died? The thought made Agatha cringe.

"I think you can do it," Arietta offered optimistically, a big smile on her face, the reassurance actually felt nice, even if Agatha couldn't believe it herself. She realized Nerida had stopped brushing her short hair, she stood with a small silver box in her hands.

"I'll go prepare your bath, my lady. Would you like lavender in your bath?" Nerida asked politely, Agatha accepted immediately, she needed a bath so couldn't wait to soak herself in the warm water.

The maids led her to the bathroom, (a door which she barely noticed, it was concealed by all the ceramics) The walls were made of clean white and blue tiles, the floor was made of stones, a huge contrast to the refined walls. The tub was made of wood and had a circular shape. Agatha was so relieved she could finally clean herself. She waited for her maids to leave, but they didn't.

"I am sure I can undress by myself, you are dismissed," Agatha said hastily, the maids looked unsure for a moment, and in the same attitude, they left Agatha all alone. Finally, she was all by herself, no one would talk to her, and nobody will be with her. Just her, all alone.

She soaked in the tub, finally relaxing after weeks. All the dirt and grime left her body. Agatha then started thinking about all what had happened in one day. She had finally arrived to Camelot, it still seemed surreal. These last weeks seemed everlasting, it seemed as if today's length had been of 72 hours instead of 24. She thought of King Arthur again, his unexpected kindness, he even seemed to consider letting her invite her mother. She hadn't said Sophie yet, it would be just too much for just one day.

'Only if his son was as civil as him,' Agatha thought bitterly, after meeting Tedros, she knew she wouldn't enjoy this engagement, or marriage. Well, neither. Agatha couldn't understand why so many princesses threw themselves at him, there was nothing really was nothing special about him.

"You don't think like other girls," Agatha thought darkly. Had Sophie been picked and she would've loved everything. Yet she wasn't picked…

As Agatha laid in the tub, she decided not to think about anything anymore. Not in Sophie, not in the engagement, nor in Tedros.

She was finally relaxed after weeks.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the courtyard the prince of Camelot could be found.

Tedros rushed down the stairs, knowing exactly where Tristan and Chaddick had guard duty: the courtyard at the West Wing. He went all that way just to ask a simple question: Why had they chosen Agatha? Even though he had to admit she wasn't physically appealing like any princess, it wasn't what bothered him about her. It was her audacity, and her immodesty. And she was just a peasant.

The thought of her becoming his wife was unsettling. After such a long search, he was so tired of the words 'princess' and 'wife'. And now, was he supposed to love her? He remembered her words:

 _"I could never love someone like you."_

If she said that, then the feeling was mutual.

After finally reaching the courtyard in the West Wing. Tedros, spotting Tristan and Chaddick, saw that they were in front of a set of wooden doors. He rapidly approached them. They caught a sight of him quickly.

"Your Highness," Chaddick said, falling to his knee.

"Drop the title, nobody is here." Tedros said, as Chaddick and Tristan stood up. Him and the two guards were friends, so when there was no one, Tedros didn't feel the need for them to formally address him.

"What are you doing here?" Tristan asked curiously, eyebrows raised.

"I came to ask you why you picked Agatha," Tedros said, both guards stiffened, they shared an uneasy look for a second.

"Well?" Tedros asked impatiently, Chaddick spoke first.

"You really going to hate us for this," And he and Tristan spilled the truth; how it had been a cruel joke on the plan, how they had deliberately picked Agatha because she was the ugliest girl in the most remote town.

"I trusted you two! I told you to go because I thought you were my friends, because I knew you would do a good job! But you bring a girl who absolutely hates me. Great job, really," Tedros exclaimed angrily, Tristan spoke after him.

"Look, she pretty much dislikes everybody, so don't think you are the only one. Also, I am going to ask you something: you said you wanted someone genuine and who would look past your fortune. Did Agatha look fake? Did she look interested in your money?" Tristan than paused, speaking in a quieter tone. "How do you know if there's not another side to her that nobody bothered to look at?"

Tedros never answered, wordlessly walking away from the courtyard.

Why?

All because he knew the answers.

* * *

 **What did you guys think? Did it live up to your expectations? Leave a review! I want to know what you thought about it, even if it's a criticism, I like to know what can I do better!**

 **I honestly had a hard time writing the first half, but then everything flowed, so hopefully, you liked this.**

 **I'll see you later!**


	7. When reality strikes you

**And I am back! I know I had you waiting a lot, but with the Last Ever After coming out and writer's block, it took a while. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **And to answer kikpanda's question about how to pronounce my username, is**

 **"bahn-dee-dah-cieh-gah' if that helps**

* * *

When Agatha woke up the next day, she realized she had never had such a comfortable night of sleep. Sure, being here was terrible in almost every way, but she never had a bed as big and cozy as this. Agatha's eye vision then cleared as she examined her room again. It hit her how much her life changed, adjusting from poor to luxury.

Shortly after Agatha woke up, someone knocked on her door.

"Come in," Agatha said sleepily, as Arietta and Nerida came in, dressed in a different uniform from the previous day. It was the same white shirt and same brown vest, but with a long, dark blue skirt.

"Good morning! I know you probably were expecting us a bit later, but we need to get you dressed quickly," Arietta said in her chirpy tone, peering around her room for the wardrobe.

"Are you always this cheerful?" Agatha asked, yawning, as Arietta offered her a smile.

"Usually," Agatha cringed at the bubbliness. It must have been about six in the morning, so how could Arietta be so awake?

"Arietta, go get her something, I'll do her hair meanwhile," Nerida ordered, Arietta hurrying to the almost empty closet as Nerida sat Agatha in the same spot as yesterday and started combing her hair, with Agatha complained a little bit less today.

"I hate to tell you this, but I think you will need to start growing out your hair," Nerida commented, Agatha made a sour expression.

"Why is that?" Agatha asked, having short hair was so convenient! It rarely got in her face, combing it was quick and she never could do anything to it!

"Well, when women get married they usually should wear their hair up, besides, it is said that the shorter the hair, the lower the class. Not that I think that, of course, but you know how royalty is," Nerida explained, and she even she rolled her eyes at that last part, which was very unlike her nature.

"I was middle class last month, besides, it has actually gotten longer," Agatha replied. Royalty couldn't possibly be any nosier, and who came up with hair thing anyways?

Nerida then started her makeup. She started applying a kind of white powder on Agatha's face, which earned the sarcastic remark of: "Do I really need to be paler?" Nerida sighed in exasperation, but before she said anything, Agatha replied: "Royalty?"

"The paler a woman's face is, the richer she is," Arietta chirped in, holding a purple dress. Agatha snorted. "If you are paler, it means that you stay inside and don't have to work in the sun because you would be wealthy.

"Then I am a filthy, rich woman, according to that," Agatha mumbled. Where did people get this idea? What was next?

Nerida then proceeded to apply lipstick, which was a deep shade of red, in perfect contrast to Agatha's face complexion. Nerida finished quickly, and then Arietta went ahead and helped her with the dress she had picked out. It was a violet dress, an A-line skirt, it had a golden sash around the waist, and its sleeves were made out of tulle, while the skirt was made of something like silk. It was simple but elegant, without too many frilly laces and such, so Agatha decided it was okay. It also had lilac lace in the sleeves.

Arietta followed the same procedure of tying it at the back, only that this time Agatha could actually breathe.

Arietta and Nerida stepped back to see how Agatha looked, Arietta put her thumbs up, while Nerida smiled approvingly. Agatha looked at her reflection in the mirror, and she was mostly focused in her face. The powder Nerida used hid certain blemishes, and like it was such a white powder, Agatha's skin looked like porcelain.

"Well, what do you think?" Nerida asked curiously.

Agatha blinked at the mirror. She was so unused to this, so unused to having her hair washed (and still growing) and not being dirty and greasy, not wearing black or grey, and being in a palace. Camelot's palace, to be exact.

"Not really used to any of this, but I guess I look alright," Agatha said. She never had clothes in colors other than black, white and grey, yet here she was, in a silk dress, and wearing makeup. She didn't look like her, but she guessed it was a good thing (Nobody wanted to see an even uglier queen then she already was).

"Should we try on jewelry?" Arietta asked hopingly, and Agatha looked at her and that was enough to make Arietta realize that it was an obvious 'no', she looked a little crestfallen, as Agatha sighed. It was almost as if she was a dress-up doll, except one that used to be unattractive at most. Maybe washing her body did help...

"Fine, but be subtle," Agatha ordered, as Arietta beamed, Nerida shook her head and smiled. Arietta was about to exit the room when Agatha remembered something.

It hit her that she needed to write a letter to Sophie and her mother, to say she was okay. Agatha's heart fluttered at the only thing that she could look forward, and imagined herself perched in her chair, her quill wavering above the paper before she scribbled many, many words onto the sheet describing her stay at Camelot so far. Then she imagined Sophie and Callis huddled together, making out the words and a slow, sad smile making it's way onto their faces.

"Arietta, wait!" Agatha called after her. Arietta turned around.

"Yes, my lady?"

"When you can, find me a quill, ink and a piece of parchment," Arietta looked uncertain for a second, but she complied happily.

Nerida raised her eyebrow before asking:

"Letters?" Agatha nodded, her expression softening. Her mother and Sophie must be so worried about her, and they must be wondering what happened with her.

"Yeah, I said I was going to write as soon as I got here," Agatha explained, Nerida nodded.

"Family?" Nerida asked quietly, Agatha nodded again.

"What did they think about this? It must have been hard on them," Nerida uttered in the same quiet tone.

Agatha sighed, remember the swirling, gentle pools of sadness that seemed to suck them in to an underwater world of despair with a glimmer of hope. Agatha looked down on the ground. Where was her mother and Sophie now?

"My mother did look slightly afflicted, my best friend started sobbing as soon as I told her," Agatha said looking away, the image of Sophie sobbing staying with her. She wondered what was of her, Agatha supposed it would take a while to receive a reply from her, which made her stomach sink. Nerida looked at her with sympathy, her grey eyes softening.

"I am sorry to hear that," Nerida verbalized solemnly, Agatha stiffly nodded.

"I wish I could say is alright, but it really isn't," Agatha said darkly, it would never be alright. She has a great possiblity of never seeing the two people who care about her ever again.

"Again, I am sorry, it is really all I can say," Nerida said again, Agatha looked at her, she still looked sympathetic with two eyes full of sadness and hope.

"Just a random thought, aren't you under royal orders to say 'my lady' when you speak to me?" Agatha remembered Arietta saying that, yet the girl ignored that completely, Nerida seemed to have forgotten today to do it. The maid blushed scarlet red.

"I a-apologize, my lady. Have I offended you?" Nerida looked at her feet in embarrassment, Agatha grinned.

"You can just refer to me as 'Agatha', that crap of 'my lady' is for actual queens and stuff, you're fine," Nerida looked up and smiled, relieved that she wasn't going to get her head chopped off for some stupid reason.

"You have no idea how many nobles have freaked out about that, I couldn't have gotten a better person to assist than you." Nerida commented, Agatha grinned again. She could imagine bratty princesses making a fuss about that, it was ridiculous. And then a true, geuine smile made it's way to Agatha's face for the first time in the morning.

Just in that moment, Arietta burst in with all the stuff Agatha asked her to bring, she sloppily dropped them over the desk. She then went through the pockets in her skirt, and she got a necklace and a couple of earrings.

"Do you want both on? You pick," Arietta held a pair of golden hoop earrings, they were small and simple, and she then held the necklace, a silver chain with a red pendant. Agatha couldn't care less about the subject, but she chose the earrings.

Arietta helped her put them on, against all of Agatha's demands ('I can do it by myself!"). Arietta applauded at Agatha, Agatha sent her a glare, and the girl just cheerfully ignored it.

"So, for whom are the letters? Clandestine lover in your village? Oh, is that why you don't want to do this? Because you secretly love someone else?" Both Agatha and Nerida glared at Arietta, Arietta looked embarrassed for a second.

"Alright, we need to take you Etiquette, that's in the other wing, we better go," Nerida said, picking up all her makeup products she had used. Agatha groaned loudly, the word 'etiquette' was not a good sign. She knew she slouches, she knows she has no manners, etiquette would just mean having to learn all that. Agatha was not up for that.

"Do I really need to do that?" Both maids nodded, feeling earnest compassion for the girl.

"And after that, you need to go to take dancing lessons," Arietta said quietly, biting her lip, another groan was heard.

The word 'dancing' was almost as bad as 'wedding'. Agatha didn't have the slightest clue how to dance, and of course, for every single dance, you needed a partner. Dancing was just another way of torture, even worse than punishments used for criminals.

"Why do I need to dance? When would I need that skill in life?" Agatha complained loudly, the trio exiting the room.

"I think you know when you will have to dance," Nerida mumbled quietly, Agatha heard her, she limited herself not to let out a very un-ladylike word.

Agatha hated almost everybody in this castle, except her maids. They treated her like a person, not a future princess. Agatha didn't say it, but she appreciated that kind of treatment. Arietta reminded her of Sophie in a way, as did Nerida's quiet nature bring a thought of Callis. Agatha's heart slightly ached thinking about the pair of them.

"Any other form of torture I should be informed?" Agatha asked with annoyance, Nerida and Arietta shared a look, Arietta replied to that:

"Well…the notice for your marriage has been posted on the chur—" Arietta was cut off by Agatha exclaiming:

"What?!" Her tone was a mix of disbelief and anger. When did they even do that? Who did it? And in what church? When was this happening? All these questions pestered Agatha while they walked, Arietta shrugged apologetically, Nerida spoke after her.

"It has been approved," It was more of a squeak, Nerida glued her eyes to her shoes, Agatha's eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of her sockets.

"And when was I going to hear about this?" Agatha demanded, Arietta shot a nervous look at Nerida.

"Today at the reunion scheduled which is for you to discuss wedding topics," Arietta said rapidly in a hushed tones. Agatha let out several curses after that, both maids tried to hush her but she kept going.

"Luckily, they didn't hear you," Nerida mumbled, her eyes darting around the hallway like a spotlight before landing on her shoes.

"I don't really care," Agatha replied angrily, rage building up in her chest like a bomb waiting to explode.

Nobody said much after that.

Sophie always hated Honora. She was a gossipy, annoying woman who had intruded her life, and had also betrayed her mother. She despised her, and didn't think that her hatred was matchable. But after what Sophie heard she did, she hated her even more.

A couple hours after Agatha left, Sophie went to the usual church service. She really didn't care about the service today, since she was only focused in Agatha leaving. She was wondering what would happen to her, or if she was okay. All kinds of questions. Like that, all day.

"I wonder where Agatha is now," Sophie thought wistfully. "In a castle full of glamor... I'd love to be there. But I want to be with Aggie even more."

When she was waiting for Honora to stop talking to her friends, she started listening to their conversation. "So, did you hear about that girl going to Camelot? When I saw them come yesterday, I thought they would pick Sophie as their future princess" Honora's friend say, and Sophie couldn't disagree, but she remained quiet to hear. She looked at the horizon pretending she was zoned out, yet she wanted to hear what Honora's reply would be.

"The whole town heard! Everybody has be raving about it. And why wouldn't they? That girl was the least qualified! I think everybody could have been a better fit than her. No doubt that prince hadn't found anyone yet, apparently he was looking for the ugliest one possible," Both women guffawed, while Sophie's blood boiled. She knew Agatha wasn't pretty, she acknowledge she was ugly, but hearing the women say it that openly, it felt horrible (Besides, what could be under Agatha's mask when she doesn't care about her appearance at all?). Sophie stayed in her spot listening.

"Who do you think lead them to her?" The woman asked, Honora shrugged.

"Alice said it was her, and very proudly may I add. Don't know why she would do it, she says they asked for the ugliest girl here, apparently she obeyed," Honora replied, Sophie furrowed her eyebrows, she had heard of that Alice lady. She was even worse than Honora, of course she would turn in Agatha! Sophie had wondered how they had come across Agatha, but she hadn't been counting with that. She wondered if they had done it as a joke, nobody who was smart enough would do that seriously. Sophie knew kingdoms take treason as a matter of execution. This had to be at least worthy of serious punishment.

Sophie decided she needed to do two things:

One, visit Alice. She would have a serious talk with the woman.

Second, she needed to figure out a way to send a letter to Agatha. This was obviously much harder than the first one. She didn't even know where Agatha was at the moment. She needed to wait for her to write.

It would be a long wait.

It's rather strange that one day after meeting your future wife, the notice for marriage is posted and approved. Tedros didn't think they wouldn't approve it, though they didn't have a valid reason to reject it. Still, it was still hard to believe in four weeks he would marry Agatha. That was an even worse thought. He knew he shouldn't judge her on how she looks, especially after arriving from a long trip. Yet he couldn't quite accept she was the one they picked.

Tristan's words had been stuck on his head since yesterday, they hadn't even let Tedros sleep peacefully. All because of those answers.

The first girl who hadn't even bothered about his fortune hated him. If that's not crappy luck, then Tedros didn't know what it was.

What if she did have another side, just like Tristan had said? What if she really is…decent? That question had pestered Tedros all day, he couldn't quite shake it off his head.

'What if she's worse?' That was other thing he couldn't keep himself from thinking. Maybe that was as good as it got. That was the worst thought it could occur to him.

This marriage was doomed. Royally, royall doomed. Why was being royalty such a pain sometimes? He didn't see middle classes make such a big deal out of a marriage. Yet nobles went crazy, as if there was no tomorrow.

The only thing in which he thought Agatha was right was in her lack of excitement. Tedros actually even agreed with her.

'We can sulk about this idea together, great.' Tedros thought gloomily. It was the most miserable thought ever, but he knew it was true. Some married couples never fall in love, they just have a friendship. Tedros doubted they would be able to go a day without insulting the other.

But they would have to pretend they love each other, because nobody can find out about the truth.

Because that's how royalty works.

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 **What did you think of it? Leave a review and tell me! Also, I don't know exactly who should teach Agatha Etiquette, I was thinking maybe one of the Good teachers, like Uma or Anemone, so if you could tell me what teacher you would like to see, please tell me in a review.**


	8. Odious Etiquette and letters

**And, I'm back! I know you have been waiting for this, sorry for that. I was out of town for a couple of days, but here is your new chapter!**

 **Also, almost 1500 views, you guys are crazy awesome! And all your reviews were great**

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Agatha obviously knew castles were extremely huge, but she didn't actually completely grasp that concept until she needed to go to the other wing. The three went down stairs, crossed through courtyards, took countless turns, went upstairs and then got lost at least three times. Neither Arietta nor Nerida were 100% sure how to get to where they needed to go, and seeing as castles have so many corridors and doors, they would take a wrong turn and completely mess up their route.

All of that, just to get _close_ to the west wing, not even actually _arriving._ Agatha's feet were ready to give up on her, she was used to walking relatively long distances, but she did it while wearing boots, not this blasted heels they had forced her to wear. Agatha had tripped on her own feet at least three times, and twisted her ankle at least twice. She couldn't even walk in heels and they expected her to be a queen. Not the smartest people she knew.

Arietta and Nerida walked rather quickly, it also didn't help that Nerida had longer legs because she was the tallest, add this to Agatha's attempt to walk in heels and you'll get a disastrous outcome.

"Did you really needed to give me heels? I told you, I can't walk in these" Agatha complained, not only she could barely stand, but they also had already given her blisters. Arietta shot her an apologetic look

"I'm sorry, but it was requested for you to wear heels. Apparently you'll need them, you know, maybe at Etiquette they will teach you how to walk in them" Arietta replied, Nerida nodded at Agatha.

"I think that actually is part of it, not that my knowledge on the subject is very good" Nerida thought out loud.

' _Better than mine'_ Agatha thought, the two maids always seemed to be informed of everything. Not only what Agatha needed to do, but also where were some people, news about the marriage, schedule of other workers, and some gossip, but it was mostly Arietta who knew about that.

As they walked through the lavish halls, the decoration followed the same patterns: carpeted floors, walls with paintings and portraits, and many doors. They went up to what seemed the thousandth set of stairs today, the maids went up quickly, but Agatha was slower because her feet were killing her and could barely walk. Both maids tried to help her as best as they could ('is our duty to help you' had said Arietta).

When they reached the second floor, the walls went from red to navy blue, they still had the same pattern of golden swirls, the floor was covered with a burgundy carpet, and the doors were simpler, instead of two grand doors. The trio walked to the end of the hallway, until they reached the only set of doors left. Made of mahogany, looked as imposing as all the doors Agatha had seen in the East Wing. They came to a stop before opening them, Nerida spoke:

"Well, you'll be here for at least an hour, I'll stay, and Arietta will go to attend her duties as a tailor. I honestly don't think you're going to enjoy this, so I hope it won't be as bad as it may look. Also, your dancing lessons will be after this, at nine." Nerida finished, Agatha raised her eyebrow

"When am I going to have breakfast?" Agatha's stomach rumbled loudly, even Arietta and Nerida heard it.

"You'll have it while you're at Etiquette, apparently they'll take it as an opportunity to teach you how to behave when eating" Arietta explained, Agatha didn't even bother to make a remark of that, she just rolled her eyes instead.

Nerida opened the door, Arietta left, and Agatha and Nerida walked in. This room had walls of the color of lilac, with a fireplace at the back of it. There was also a big dining table in the center of the room, with so much silverware Agatha didn't know why it was there. And there was also a dark brown couch and a blue recliner around the fireplace.

Out of the back of the room came a young woman. She had long blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, with her mouth painted a light shade of pink. She was wearing a magenta dress, with a baby pink sash tied around her hips and long sleeves. And to top all of that, she had a huge smile on her pink lips.

' _Is like seeing Sophie in ten years'_ Agatha thought sullenly

The woman's smile faltered when she saw Agatha. She didn't blame her, she elicited that reaction from all kinds of people, no matter what social class.

Nerida spoke again:

"Miss Anemone, this is Agatha of Woods Beyond, she is going to be our future Queen. Agatha, this is Emma Anemone, she will be teaching you Etiquette" The said, Emma, or Miss Anemone (Agatha was unsure how to refer to her) tried to pull out her dashing smile, but came out as a grin instead.

"Ah, lovely" She said in a tone which showed how confused and unconvinced she was, "Well, as you know, women need to be proper at all times, but mostly princesses and queens, seeing as today is your first day here, I'll go with the basics: posture" Agatha winced, she had spent her whole life being told she had a terrible posture, she had tried to stand straight, but it had only failed. She didn't think she would have much luck this time.

Anemone grabbed a book that was in the dining table, she placed it atop of Agatha's head, and Agatha almost dropped it. It was as if the woman had picked the heaviest book she could find, Agatha fixed and tried to start walking, but Anemone straightened her shoulders first.

"Tried to walk at least to the other end of the table" The young professor said, Agatha started walking, only about five steps in, the book was already slipping of her head, she went ahead and fixed it, took another couple of steps, and it fell out of her head. She hadn't even mad it halfway through.

"Is okay, a lot of people struggle the first time" Anemone said. But Agatha struggled the second time, and the third one, and the fourth one, and the fifth, and the sixth, and so on and so forth… Every time she dropped it, Agatha's frustration increased, at some point, her expression had turned into a sour, permanent glare. Nerida shot her a look and made a gesture for her to calm down. Agatha ignored her.

Not only she wanted good posture, but wanted Agatha to walk in graceful 'little steps instead of heavy stomping, as if she was a savage'

 _Didn't know savages stomped_ ' Agatha thought, irritated at Anemone's comment

Half hour in, Agatha still dropped the book, the frequency did decrease a little, and she actually neared halfway of her distance. Anemone sighed in defeat, she said it was time to call it quits on posture while standing, it was time to move on to sitting posture. Agatha internally groaned, she shot a glare to Anemone, whose initial chirpiness had been substituted by the same frustration Agatha felt.

She sat in the chair and slumped her shoulders, as if to show her defeat and carelessness about this whole thing. Anemone straightened her shoulders again.

"When we sit, our back needs to be to the back of the chair, not slouching forward like a gorilla" Anemone said, Agatha rolled her eyes

"Oh, now I'm a gorilla?" Agatha finally snapped, letting out all the annoyance she felt. Anemone looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Princesses don't _snap._ " Anemone said cuttingly, Agatha held her glare.

"I'm not a princess, or am I?" Agatha retorted, Anemone went back to correcting her posture. Then went to explain why posture is so important in anybody.

Anemone then moved on how to behave around nobles and royalty.

"When you are introduced to someone, the proper thing is to bow, especially if it's to a member of a royal family"

Agatha's bowing was slightly awkward, but Anemone said it was the best she had done this morning.

Anemone also explained that she needed to refer to Kings and Queens as "Your Highness" unless stated otherwise.

"They rarely make an exception, they like having their title thrown around" Anemone commented. She then went to explain how to refer to princes and princesses, dukes, earls, and so many other titles that Agatha had never heard.

When Arietta came in to announce Etiquette over, both Agatha and Anemone sighed in relief. Anemone advised Agatha to practice her posture, Agatha just nodded indifferently. Those sixty minutes had been the longest in Agatha's life, and all invested in _posture_ and how to treat nobles

Arietta and Nerida led her out of the room, Arietta smiled at Agatha:

"Good news, your Dancing lessons were moved to tomorrow, now all you have to do is go to that little meeting about your wedding, so you have three hours to do whatever pleases you"

"Oh thank Goodness, I'm starving, where can I go to take breakfast?" Agatha asked eagerly, she spent the whole class of Etiquette thinking on how hungry she was.

"I'll go get your breakfast, Arietta will take you to your room, and you'll just eat there like you did yesterday." Nerida replied, she then took a left and was out of Agatha's sight. She had had her two meals yesterday at her room, she didn't bother ask why it was like this, but it didn't really bother Agatha.

Arietta and Agatha kept walking through the same halls as they had done previously, only that this time, they only got lost once. Arietta kept the conversation going by asking Agatha questions about Etiquette, such as:

"And what is Miss Anemone like?"

"Did you hate it as much as you thought you would?'

"Do you seriously have that bad of a posture?"

Agatha knew Arietta was the most curious out of the two maids, but she really emphasized that characteristic today. She then talked about who had been her previous patroness, and according to Arietta, she had been a bratty duchess.

"When I heard I was getting the future Queen as a patroness, I wasn't too excited, that Duchess Vivienne had been the biggest pain I've had in seventeen years of life. But then they said how particularly different you were, that I thought it wouldn't be as bad, and with Nerida is even better. I'm glad you are who I'm serving, you never complain about our service, or think we're idiots, even though I pester you with questions like these. I think I've never had such a nice patroness! And so humble, how could someone dislike you?" Arietta rambled, Agatha's neck went completely red. Nobody had ever complimented her as much as Arietta, and she had only known her for one day.

"Um, well, thank you" Agatha stammered, still blushing, "but you've only known me for one day, that's not a lot of time to know me" Arietta gave a shrug and smiled.

"Oh please, Vivienne would yell at me like six times per hour, believe me when I say you're great"

"Thank you" Agatha said quietly. The two kept walking and Arietta kept talking. How could two maids that just had known her for a day, be nicer than almost all the people in Gavaldon?

"Arietta, how long have you been working here?" Agatha asked, looking at Arietta

"Two years, I had three patroness before you. Duchess Vivienne, Duchess Katina and Lady Stella. All around the ages of seventeen to twenty three. Also, I've been a tailor for the same amount of time. Oh! By the way, I already have the design for your dress, and the fabric. I hope you'll like it, well, I don't know, you're not very into dresses" Arietta shrugged, "I hope you at least think you look pretty" Agatha stared at her dumbfounded, she had worked for two duchesses and a lady, yet she treated Agatha like she was more royalty than them, respectfully, but at the same time, as a friend.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll be very into the dress, I really don't care that much about clothes. And what happened to your previous patronesses?" Agatha asked, Arietta looked away, embarrassed.

"Well, Vivienne replaced me and Nerida, Katina married and moved away, and Stella also replaced me. Apparently I was too stupid and annoying" Arietta said sadly, Agatha gave her a sympathetic look.

"I don't think you're any of those things" Agatha said softly, Arietta looked up and beamed as always.

"Could I maybe hug you?" Arietta asked hopefully, Agatha was so not a hug person, but Arietta was like a little puppy, so Agatha allowed it.

Arietta walked even happier after that.

When Agatha got to her room, Nerida was there, holding a silver tray. She brought a bowl of oatmeal, fruit and water. Agatha sat down on her desk and ate ravenously. She didn't know if it was the hunger, but it was as if it was the best she'd have in her life.

Arietta then left and took the tray to the kitchen, Nerida stayed seated in Agatha's bed. Meanwhile, Agatha did something that was long overdue: write the letters to her mother and Sophie.

She started with Sophie, she felt it would be easier to talk to her, about the luxuries, the dresses, the maids. It went on like this:

 _Dear Sophie_

 _I know you've been waiting for this letter for nearly a month, I have to apologize. The idiotic guards made the trip about a week longer than what it should've been, and I wasn't able to write during that period._

 _Now that I'm finally here, I can write this. The place is just like I pictured. Everything is so expensive and snobbish. I am wearing a silk dress right now, I can't help but think you would have been a hundred times more fitted for this life than me. I have two maids: Arietta and Nerida, they're the nicest people so far._

 _The prince is a huge jerk, but I totally saw that coming, (I think you would be swooning over him though, and he would swoon over you too) But that subject is not important. The wedding notice was posted already, I'm officially engaged. That is the worst thing I've ever written._

 _Hopefully you'll be able to make it to the wedding, the date is not completely clear, but it is in three weeks._

 _Hope to hear from you soon. I miss you terribly._

 _-Agatha_

Agatha realized it was the first letter she had ever written, she thought it was pretty decent, she then let it there, so the ink could dry. Then she started to her mother, it was more or less the same, only that she complained a little bit more in this one. A tear ran down Agatha's face, it hadn't dawned on her that they might not be here for her wedding. Gavaldon was so far they would have to leave today to make it on time. She would ask today at the wedding reunion about guests, they couldn't just deny her to bring her only guests. She wiped her tears silently, Nerida broke the silence.

"My lady, if there something wrong?" Nerida asked, an urgent tone to her voice. Agatha shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, it'll be okay. I promise" Agatha turned to look at her, Nerida still unconvinced, but she just shrugged it off.

"As you say, Agatha" Nerida said, Agatha grinned at her calling her by her name.

Just in that moment, Arietta burst in through the doors, noisily as always.

"Smells like ink, were you writing?" She asked Agatha, she nodded. Arietta smiled, saying she knew the 'smell of old in a bottle', it made no sense to Agatha, but she didn't really care. Her life made no sense at the moment.

"Quick question: would you invite us to your wedding?" Arietta asked bluntly, Nerida scolded her sharply.

"Arietta! Of course she won't, high class people doesn't invite us to weddings" Agatha frowned at that, Nerida probably had been here longer than Arietta, she must have seen all her patronesses getting married, but not being there.

"Of course you will. Who do they think they are to not let me invite the only people I like in this blasted place" Agatha verbalized solemnly, Arietta beamed at her, Nerida stared at her, eyes like saucers, and her jaw almost touching the floor.

"Y-you would invite _servants_ to your wedding? But you're almost a princess! A queen even!" Nerida exclaimed, she was surprised, but seemed happy, regardless of how unbelievable it was.

"So?" Agatha snorted, "I can, I mean, if they want me to lead country, I can invite you. You guys are…nice" Agatha said the last part quietly, Arietta still beaming.

"I going to need my best dress! Oh, I should make one for Nerida and I! This is so exciting!" Arietta gushed happily. Even Agatha smiled, the two maids were so happy, even Nerida was gushing, both acting like two teenagers.

"You are like the best person ever!" Arietta gushed, her olive eyes lighting up.

Agatha smiled at that. A real, genuine smile, it was hard to think she was actually smiling, she never did.

Agatha then asked who could take care of the letters, Nerida offered herself to do it.

"I would wait until the reunion is over, you know, for you to write anything like wedding date or something" Nerida suggested, Agatha agreed with her. They would probably clear up all details, and would probably even have the invitations done. Agatha rolled her eyes at that.

After two hours, they took Agatha down the same halls she walked yesterday, the same she walked when she was anxious about meeting Tedros. And they had stopped at the same pair of doors. Nerida and Arietta stood by her sides, unlike yesterday, where Tristan had escorted her.

"Well, I hope you can clear anything up, and that you can invite whoever you want" Nerida said, then whispered; "I hope we can go" she then winked at Agatha. Nerida opened the doors.

Agatha still felt the same irritation as she had before.

But worse, because she already knew who was behind these doors.

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 **What did you think? Good? Bad? Okay? I chose Anemone because all of you voted her. Also, I have a question for you guys: What do you think of Arietta and Nerida? I don't like introducing OC's, but I really enjoy writing the two of them**

 **And finally, I start school next week, so updates will probably be more sporadic, sorry :( But I'll do my best! I won't let this story die!**

 **Bye guys!**


	9. Wedding talks and backstories

**I bring chapter 9! Woohoo! Thanks for all the people who reviewed the last chapter, I love me some reviews. And I am so glad you all like Nerida and Arietta, I like them too.**

 **You'll get more on their stories as the story goes on, but for now, read this and enjoy it!**

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Nerida opened the doors for Agatha, like she always does, they both went in instantly. The room looked just as it did yesterday, same furniture, same paintings, same everything. The only difference was the smell in the air: It was like lavender mixed with vanilla. So disgustingly sweet it made Agatha gag.

Agatha saw Arthur, Tedros and a man she didn't know, he had black eyes and brown hair, which was shaven in the back of his head, it could only mean one thing, he was a _priest_ , probably the same priest who would marry them, she then noticed he also had a pendant of a cross and was wearing dark green robes. All were sitting in a circle. None were talking, as if waiting for Agatha to speak. She didn't make eye contact with any of them, she just glued her eyes to the golden swirls in the walls.

Nerida guided her to the three men, she curtsied and said:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, I've escorted Agatha as you pleased"

"Thank you Nerida, you may leave now" Arthur dismissed Nerida and she left, but before that, she shot Agatha a smile, Agatha gave her a wave in return. She stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do, she looked around, the man she didn't know sat in a chair, smiling at her, Arthur sat in the red recliner, and Tedros sat in the burgundy couch…which to Agatha's dismay, was the only place where she could sit.

"Don't just stand there, please take a sit" Arthur requested, Agatha saw no other choice, so she just sat in the same couch where Tedros sat. Sitting felt pretty good, because her feet were starting to ache again, it was as if more blisters were coming out. Had Arietta given her the right size?

Arthur cleared his throat before he started speaking:

"As you two know, the notice for your marriage has been posted, which makes it official. This is Charles, he is the priest who will be marrying you two. He also posted the notice on the church door." The said Charles smiled again, Agatha looked away.

"I know this is late, but, did you make sure to check if there was any reason why these two shouldn't marry?" Charles asked Arthur, he nodded in reply.

"My two guards confirmed it, Agatha has never been married, nor had she committed murder. And they're definitely not related, so we're definitely alright." Arthur said, Agatha did recall Tristan asking her those two questions, she had found it very odd, to say the least, but that day she had been tired and felt no reason to question why he was asking such strange things. Now it all mad sense: it was to verify if they could marry.

"Then we're fine!" Charles declared cheerfully, Agatha wanted to slap the smile right of his face, she still felt bitter about the marriage, and would probably feel this way for a long time.

"Oh, and let me ask out of curiosity, from what kind of family do you come from, Agatha?" Charles asked. Agatha wasn't too excited about the subject, mostly because any priest would judge her on being raised by a single mother. Hey, maybe that would send her to Gavaldon again

"Well, my father died in a mill accident before I was born, so I never met him. My mother dedicated to raise me by herself, and she never got married again, so I am an only child" Agatha uttered nervously, Charles studied her face, which made Agatha more nervous.

"Hm, strange, usually people remarry quickly. Was there any reason she was never pledged to someone?" Charles pressed, he was starting to annoy Agatha, as well as making her nervous and self-conscious. She fidgeted in her seat before replying:

"Well, we were kind of…shunned by the people, they thought we were evil, but we're not! We are quite religious actually, they just got that idea because of our looks" Agatha explained, the religious part wasn't necessarily true, but seeing as he was a priest, Agatha decided to make a decent impression, just so they won't burn her on the stake, or something worse. Charles nodded, a little doubt, he just shrugged it off.

"I guess you get a chance to stop being shunned, our Lord always make things right" Charles said, a smile on his face, Agatha nodded, she felt a pang of relief after he said that. Arthur continued after that:

"Great, now, on the wedding itself, you all obviously know how the wedding goes, bride walks down the aisle, the two meet on the altar, at the end they give the ring to the other and finally seal the union with a kiss" Arthur said, Agatha cringed, she couldn't even give Tedros a handshake, how could they expect them to _kiss?_ In front of what would probably be a huge crowd, a crowd filled with the most judgmental people ever. Judgmental _royalty_.

"Does the kiss need to be on the lips?" Agatha heard the voice, but she didn't realize it was her own. She clamped her pale hand to her mouth, her face was almost as red as her lips. They would probably laugh at her for asking such a silly question. And indeed, Arthur did chuckle

"Of course you do, I know it may seem a little awkward, but a tradition needs to be respected" Agatha couldn't help herself and rolled her eyes, Charles seemed to notice because he shot her a questioning look. Agatha looked away quickly. This whole wedding scheme was rotten.

"Seems this generation has never gone to a wedding, or seen one. Tedros asked me the same question last night, apparently you can take it better, he let out the loudest groan I've heard in years" When Arthur said that, Agatha smirked, she would've liked to do that, but this made her look better than Tedros, a thing which he deserved.

"Father!" Tedros exclaimed loudly, clearly ashamed of himself, Agatha's smirk got bigger, only to the prince's annoyance.

"Moving on from that, I recall yesterday Agatha asked me about guests, and seeing as Gavaldon's distance is estimated to be about 18 to 21 days, the best thing would be to send a carriage tomorrow at sunrise. You still would want guests, right?" Arthur asked, Agatha's eyes lit up. She could have Sophie and her mother! At her wedding! She could imagine it, her mother looking at her with sad yet proud eyes, for doing what she should. And Sophie, oh Sophie would be delighted! She would want a dress made by Arietta, and would love the castle! It all seemed wonderful in Agatha's mind.

"I think my mother and my friend are the only ones, so just two people." Agatha said, she just needed Arthur to say yes

"Alright then, I'll send two guards to Gavaldon, I'll see who I pick, do you think Tristan and Chaddick would do it?" Arthur replied

"Not really, they were already tired with 'such a long trip', I recommend someone else" Tedros said, apparently Agatha wasn't the only one who knew about the guards' irritation towards the trek to Gavaldon.

"I'll have to see then, no one else?" Arthur asked Agatha, she then remembered Arietta and Nerida. How could she forget?

"Um, actually, you see, in the last day, my maids have been awfully nice to me, and they have done so much already, so much I haven't even asked, that I feel it would be wrong not to invite them, of course, if you allow it." Agatha said, looking at the tapestry, she realized everybody gave her confused looks, or at least surprised.

"Maids at a royal wedding? That's unheard of… I mean, is not wrong but, if that's what you please, I guess we should allow it, to be honest, you do deserve it." Arthur complied, Agatha sighed in relief. Arietta and Nerida would explode into squeals! She couldn't wait to see their faces, she could hear Arietta rambling about what she should wear.

"Thank you" Agatha said at last, feeling extreme gratitude

"Wedding invitations should be sent in about two days, after all, foreign royals are coming over, and so they need an early invitation, with the fastest delivery possible. Oh, and how long would you like your guests to stay?" Arthur said, Agatha hadn't even thought about that part

 _Three weeks, a month, six, their whole lives'_ Agatha thought, she didn't know how much to ask, a week was definitely not enough, a month seemed to be perfect, she just really needed Sophie and her mother.

"Is a month okay? Maybe four weeks instead of five? If that's not a lot, of course" Agatha replied, Arthur seemed to think about it for a moment, Agatha silently hoping he would accept.

"Four weeks will be okay" He finally said, Agatha sighed again

"To avoid too many people, the ceremony will be held at the castle's chapel, then we'll go to the big hall and have the reception, we're accommodating about 375 people, it may go up to 400, at this rate" Arthur declared. 400 people?! That was way too many people watching Agatha, seeing everything she did, how she walked, her hair, her dress. 800 eyes watching her.

"Isn't that too much?" Agatha asked, suddenly worried

"No! That's perfect, we'll even have space left" Arthur reassured her, "Now Charles, if you could leave us, that would be great" Both men got up and shook hands, then Charles left, leaving the two teenagers with the king, he suddenly looked stern, and he was, because the words that came out, were like a tirade.

"Now, don't believe I don't know the animosity between you two. Last night Tedros came in saying you were 'alright', which was disappointing, because I knew he meant you were not, and that led me to believe, something happened. So today, you don't even look at each other, and both ask the same stupid question about the kiss! I had to do it, my father had to, so you will!" Arthur seemed to be finished, but he just paused "You need to try! You just met yesterday! Don't give up so quickly, solve whatever problem you have, at least act like you _tolerate_ each other. Tedros, we spent a good amount of time looking for Agatha, she's as good as it gets, and I think she is truly worthy, so far at least, she's all you asked for. Agatha, please, I know it's hard for you, but try to look past his outside, he's a good person" Arthur then just looked tired, and pleading, it was a strange combination. And what was that 'all you ever asked for?', because that was not how he looked yesterday, it seemed as if he was repulsed by her, which was how she felt about him.

Arthur sighed, he got up off his seat.

"I need to go, I recommend you two start apologizing, if needed, or just talk, I don't want another failed marriage in my lineage" And with that, he left. Failed marriage? Arthur was being so intriguing, leaving all these question hanging. Agatha and Tedros sat awkwardly, neither spoke, neither looking at the other. Agatha sighed, she then spoke:

"Why do we have to end up like this, again? I honestly think we should just give up, what's the use of this? We'll never work together, you should've just taken the first princess you saw, you could already be married, maybe even have a kid" For the first time today, Tedros looked at her, he hadn't even noticed she was wearing makeup, her eyes were looking somewhere in the walls, anywhere but directly at him. He suddenly remembered what Tristan said, for the millionth time today, curse him for that question.

"Because, he thinks you're a good person, he says you're worthy, because you don't want to marry me for interest, or because of how I look…He honestly wants me to be in love, not just be married and not even like each other. That's why he went on this whole search" Tedros said softly, Agatha faced him hesitantly, why did this needed to be so complicated? Why did she needed to be involved?.

"I, I don't really understand the whole love concept, but I know you can't just push it, which is exactly what he's doing, why is he so pushy? Is not like we could end the marriage, we'll have to stick together." Agatha reasoned, she didn't know any marriage that had always been about love, why so much for this? She thought she had seen Tedros look darkly for a moment, she thought it must have been her head playing a trick.

"That's exactly what I said! But, is more complicated than what you think, is…forget it, all you need to know is that he wants me to be happy. Which I don't think I will" Tedros expressed flatly, Agatha shrugged indifferently.

"I don't think I'll be too happy with you either" Agatha said dryly, both looking at the other coldly. "Unless one of us eloped or something, I wouldn't do that, that's even stupider"

"Tell me about it" Tedros mumbled under his breath, Agatha raised an eyebrow at him, he just shrugged it off. There was something weird about Arthur today, and it seemed it was rubbing on Tedros, it was as if they were hiding something from her, something important.

"Are you hiding something? Like the reason why your father is so eager about you having a marriage filled with love?" Agatha inquired, curiosity rushing through her blood

"Is none of your business, really" Tedros said sharply, Agatha rolled her eyes at him

"Fine, have it your way, I'm leaving, I honestly don't know what I need to do now, but I know it has nothing to do with you" Agatha stood up and walked all the way to the door, she was almost out of the room when Tedros called her.

"Wait" He said, making Agatha turn around. He walked almost all the to where she was standing, a small distance between the two.

"I suggest something" Agatha raised her eyebrow, as if to question any idea he had, "What if after we… get married, we do a sort of, truce. We can still dislike the other, but we just don't verbally show it"

"So, technically we hate the other, but no insults?" Agatha asked, it was a curious deal, but then again, she was getting married in three weeks, this was almost normal. Almost.

"Well, yes" Tedros said, Agatha shrugged yet again, what did she even have to lose?

"I guess it could work" Agatha agreed, maybe it would help dissimulate the mutual dislike, at least when in public.

"I would say it'll trick the crowds, if we act like we remotely like the other, we fool them, but behind closed doors, we don't have to dissimulate" Tedros uttered, surprisingly, Agatha agreed.

"You have a deal" Agatha said after a pause

They both left after that, none saying anything to the other.

* * *

With difficulty, Agatha found the way to her room, her mind still with one question in mind; What secret were they keeping from her? Then, something boggled her mind, where was Tedros' mother in this? She thought a mother would be the person who would want to meet her son's future wife, but no mention of the Queen had been done. Agatha thought she would ask Arietta or Nerida. She hoped they would be there, she had to deliver the news she had for them. Agatha knew they had known each other for less than 24 hours, but when they're so nice to her, it would be offending not to invite them.

Luckily, they were there, indeed. Agatha opened the doors to see Nerida cleaning her mirror, while Arietta seemed to be filling her closet with more clothes. The both turned when they heard the doors open. They left their respective task and went rushing to Agatha, hopeful looks in both of their faces.

"Well, what did they say?" Nerida asked, hands clasped hopefully, Agatha nodded and smiled. Two screams were heard, along with excited gibberish. Arietta and Nerida hugged each other, as if they were the ones getting married.

"OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO A WEDDING" Arietta loudly exclaimed, while Nerida repeated the same phrase, but quietly, as if she couldn't believe it.

"I need to do a dress for me and one for you, Nerida, and shoes, I need shoes! And what about my hair? It must look disgusting. Oh my God, this is the best day ever" Arietta rambled, she and Nerida were like this for another five minutes. They talked about how to behave, their outfits, and how they couldn't be too fancy, after all, they were only maids, what to do with their hair. And it was in that minute that it dawned on Agatha, Arietta was almost her age, yet here she was working, but still behaved like a typical teenager. She smiled, Arietta and Sophie would be like best friends, they were so alike in so many ways.

After a while, they finally calmed down (After they hugged Agatha, which made her feel so stupidly uncomfortable) The trio just stood, except Agatha, who happily laid on her bed. She had taken off her shoes, violently throwing them and letting out a relieved sigh. It was at this moment when she decided to ask something to her maids: about the queen, or former queen. She wondered if Nerida had worked here long enough to know her, so she asked her directly.

"So, Nerida, in all seriousness and all, what happened to the queen? If she even alive? If she is, did you knew her?" Both maids tensed up at the mention of the queen. Something weird was going on. Nerida spoke, with some difficulty, as if she had asked about a dead mother.

"I, I did actually, because nine years ago, I served her personally" Agatha raised her eyebrow

"What happened to her?" Agatha pressed, there had to be something peculiar about that woman.

"Well, nobody likes to talk about this, is like a sin" Nerida explained, "But she left, suddenly, she left no trace. Nobody know what happened to her, or where she is" Agatha let the words sink in. So that's why there's so much stress over this wedding, and that's what Arthur meant by 'failed marriage', his own marriage had failed, his wife left him.

"She was, an odd woman. She never wanted to be queen, really. She was kind of awkward, a very nice woman, though, I can't complain about her treatment. But she was never in love with King Arthur, she left him for his best friend, it made everything even worse. Since that night, we don't even talk about her, is as if she died that night" Nerida continued, her words resonating in Agatha's ears. Odd? Awkward? Didn't want to be Queen? That sounded a lot like Agatha. She suddenly felt herself tense up.

"Then that just makes this even worse, because I share similarities with that woman! Are they stupid?" Agatha exclaimed loudly

"I think they don't see you capable of doing such thing" Arietta chirped in, "You are different, trust me, I've seen several ladies in this room, and so has Nerida, but none have been like you. We have faith in you, you'll be fine" Agatha looked at her, so confused at her optimism

"Arietta is right, you won't end up like her. I trust you, you seem too noble to do that." Nerida assured, Agatha still unsure.

"When did this happen?" Agatha asked quietly

"Eight years ago, I had been working here for a year. I was just a fifteen year old, when they told me I would serve her. I was her maid for three months, then she left. I was interrogated several times, they thought I knew, but I had no clue, she just disappeared." Nerida said, in a hushed tone, "I wasn't trusted for a while, neither were her other three maids, we didn't serve a royal member for two years, because they thought us traitors" Her voice quivered, as if she was back in that time.

"But now, we can say we have the best patroness, I know it sounds like a lot of pressure, you know following the queen who left the kingdom, but there is a bright side!" Arietta said cheerfully

"There is?" Agatha asked, all she though there was, was pressure on her. Pressure to be perfect.

"Yes, I mean, as long as you don't elope, you'll be great! And of course, give an heir and all that stuff, the latter being the harder one, obviously" Arietta said nonchalantly, Agatha rubbed her temples.

"Can we not say the words 'wedding' or 'heir' in front of me?" She groaned, Both placed their hands on one of her shoulders.

She was going to have so much pressure, she needed to be perfect, to be a good queen, to be a good wife, to have a… heir. It was all too much for her, she had no idea how to do any of that.

"What was this woman's name?' Agatha asked, Arietta and Nerida shared a look, as if saying her name was treason to the kingdom.

"Guinevere, a name nobody says anymore" Nerida said

* * *

 **Well? Was it worthy? It was sure a long chapter, a lot going on in it. I thought Agatha should know about Guinevere, but if Tedros told her, it would be too touchy feely for them, and right now, they're not in that place, but they will, some time soon.**

 **Also, there must be like only two chapters until the wedding, so either chapter 11 or 12 will be the big, royal wedding!**

 **So, tune in for that! Please leave a review! Even if it's a short one!**


	10. Too much dancing

After Nerida finished telling Agatha about the said Guinevere, it was as if nobody had ever mentioned her, and the subject was never brought up the topic in the first place. It was as if even talking about the situation was forbidden in the castle - Which Agatha pretty sure it was. A tension-thick silence fell on the trio as Arietta not-as-cheerfully looked through her dresses. Instead of sulking, Agatha was thinking. Thinking about what, what could possibly happen to her and Tedros with what happened to Guinevere and Arthur?

As much as she wanted to, Agatha couldn't run away from her now-given duties. She like to think that it was because then she would be walking away from Arietta and Nerida, but something else was also anchoring her to Camelot. Was it the sense of good that was slowly trickling into her mind? Or was something else part of as well?

Agatha pondered about this while Arietta changed the subject, asking Agatha what she was planning to do with her correspondence, seeing as she had been allowed guests, which meant invitations would probably be sent with the letters. Agatha's eyes widened as she realized she was spacing out.

"Well, where am I even supposed to take them?" Agatha asked. She had never written a letter, much less sent one, so she felt rather ignorant on the subject, because, well, she was. Arthur had said they would have invitations ready in a couple of days, so should she invite them in the letter?

"I can take care of that, I know how to handle it," Arietta replied cheerily, in her jubilant mood once again after they were done plunging into the topic about Guinevere, "Are you going to wait for invitations? Because it's pretty obvious why they're coming. Besides, I bet whoever goes for them will formally announce it." She did have a point, Agatha thought. Agatha handed her the two pieces of parchment, while Arietta took them, and she then left the room.

The two black haired girls stood there, Nerida quickly resuming cleaning her mirror, another silence falling into the now dreary-looking room. Agatha looked at the spot where she wrote her letters, as she glanced at the cloudy sky casting shadows across her room. Nerida, as if reading Agatha's thoughts, quickly placed a candle on the desk. Agatha could still imagine the feeling of writing with the ink splaying across the page with every dip she took and the lines she wrote.

Agatha wondered how mail worked in a castle. Did they have some sort of room only for mail? Did someone just deliver it personally? Or was that just for royalty?

Looking to Nerida, she began starting to wonder about Nerida herself. She said she had served Guinevere nine years here, so she calculated Nerida should be 23 by now. Agatha's eyebrows raised with slight surprise. That seemed a long time working as a maid, at least for someone as young as Nerida.

"Nerida, how many patronesses you've had in all these years?" Agatha inquired. Nerida turned from her task, looking down to the floor as she tapped her chins with her long, thin fingers.

"Well, about fifteen, without counting those that had been assigned to me temporarily. I'll tell you, at least ten of those women were brats, but I guess is what I do to eat." Nerida gave a shrug at that. Nerida was slightly passive as she said this, just like she always was.

"Did they all go away?" Agatha asked, and Nerida thought about that for a second.

"No, some of them still live here, some are around your age, actually. You wouldn't like them too much. Sometimes, they see me passing by, and glare at me." Nerida whispered that last part, as if afraid someone would hear.

Of course, that's why Nerida seemed so quiet and experienced at the same time. She always would quiet down the bubbly girl Arietta, knowing that if royalty heard the things they said about them they would surely kick them out of the castle. And the first time Nerida saw Agatha, she was quiet, and while Agatha thought she was really shy, she was actually quiet because when she was younger and excited Nerida's patrons probably would send her annoyed glances. Glares, and annoyance, all directed towards Nerida. If nobles heard anything about what Nerida said about them, they wouldn't let her anywhere near the castle again, let alone be a servant. And being a servant at a castle might be Nerida's only way of making money, after many long years of serving.

Agatha felt a sudden pang of sympathy for Nerida. At least she didn't have such a hard life back at home, when she thought she did.

"Home," Agatha thought. Gavaldon was no longer her home. Agatha looked around her. The tiny candle flickered like a scared child under the thunderstorm outside the window, with the shadows lurking where the light didn't reach. Agatha reached out and shut the curtains. This was now her home. This was now her home.

Nerida and Arietta worked here. What was their home? With their patronesses?

Agatha paced around the room, thinking of what both Arietta and Nerida had said about past patronesses, apparently none of them were civil, to say the least.

Agatha cleared her throat, erasing all her previous thoughts. She had to ask about the mail to make sure Sophie and Callis would be able to reach her.

"And…how does mail work around here?" Agatha asked yet another question after a moment of silence, as Nerida smiled at her.

"I knew that was coming up. Well, once every three weeks, a messenger comes and hands the letter to the servants of each recipient. It is the servants' job to deliver it, and after that, the recipient will get it. To send it, people place it in a small box in the library, while another messenger picks them up, and he delivers them personally..." Nerida paused for a second, as if remembering something before she continued on, "If the recipient is in Camelot, of course. If not, he sends an ambassador, who will do the same, but to other nations. Which is what someone could do with your letters, but I don't know. I mean, they'll probably send a carriage, right?" Nerida asked.

Agatha nodded, suddenly wondering if Arietta would take it to the library. Would she? It didn't matter how, but her mother and Sophie needed those letters.

"Don't worry, the messenger usually knows who is going to what place, he'll take care of it," Nerida assured, though Agatha was not too convinced about this, but she thought Nerida was probably right. After all, she had spent nearly a decade here, whereas Agatha had spent three or two days here.

A few days. This month was going to be a very long month.

She walked to the balcony for the first time, as she moved the curtains out of the way, revealing a beautiful sight of a lake, its water the color of the clear skies, water so calm and undisturbed, it made it look too perfect. And if that wasn't enough, the trees surrounding it made it look like the perfect painting. The trees' leaves came in all shades of green, some with some flowers, which only looked like paint spots over the trees. It was all so different from Gavaldon's dying trees, and the dry planes. It was as if Camelot had to be better in every possible way, as if they strived to be perfect. So perfect, it was almost fake. Flawless.

"Nerida, do a lot of nobles and royalty go to weddings?" Agatha inquired, out of nowhere, as she remembered why she was here, not to admire perfect woods, but to be a…queen. Nerida nodded, to Agatha's dismay.

"Yes, a lot. Duchesses, lords and ladies, princesses looking for princes, viscounts, any kind of royalty you can imagine. Oh, and I need to warn you, at the end of many weddings, some people try to rip a part of the bride's gown. Don't ask why, I just heard it once." Agatha cringed at that, then snorted.

"I would ask who does that, but then I remembered, royalty does." Agatha said bitterly, Nerida laughed at that, while Agatha slightly flinched, her statement bringing everything horrible about this place back to her mind.

How could she survive another month? Of classes? And secretly hating Tedros as well? Where was her home supposed to be? Agatha felt like curling up in a corner. Sophie, Callis... She belonged with them. She couldn't be a queen. She was the least fit to have a crown weighing on her head. Royalty... Nobles... This life was not hers. It didn't belong to her. She wasn't meant to be here.

"Not all royalty is as bad as you think, even though it may look otherwise." Nerida claimed, shaking Agatha out of her trance. After telling herself to be strong, Agatha managed raised her eyebrow (and somewhat return to her normal nature). After hearing about her patronesses, she didn't understand how that was possible.

"Really?" Agatha snorted, even Arthur annoyed her, and he was somewhat alright. Just the sole idea of royals made her wince. She had always seemed them as nosy people who talked about politics, fashion, and... romance. Bleh. She had a little bit of respect for kings, because they managed to at least do something. But what did people like viscounts do? What were they?

"Yeah, King Arthur is usually polite to his servants, well, that's what I hear. And Prince Tedros can be too, as strange as it may sound to you," Nerida smiled at Agatha, who was giving her an incredulous look.

"Great," Agatha thought. "I'm just the one Tedros hate. And I'm just the only one who sees how bad Tedros can be. Does everybody have to hate me here?" Agatha bit her lip. Though it was a rhetorical question in her mind, Agatha's response to it was that she felt like fleeing this place once again. Why couldn't she be a bird? A dove? Then she could fly through the balcony and safely back to Gavaldon...

"Do you need to always use their titles? I mean, I understand it with the King, but with Tedros? You're older than him," Agatha said, and Nerida gave a shrug.

"True, I sometimes forget that. Maybe is because I look like seventeen," Nerida joked, and Agatha cracked a smile at that. When she first met and chatted with Nerida, she thought she would be one of those nice, in-tact with nature girls. Nerida was a great friend, and though she hated to admit it, she was even more understanding than Arietta. But Arietta in return managed to cheer Agatha up more. So she sat on her bed, while Nerida now organized her closet. She put dress after dress, shoes after shoes, until the piece of furniture was about to burst. They kept talking about trivialities, and Nerida explained she worked so much just to help her family.

"You know, too many mouths to feed," She had said, but before she could continue talking, Arietta burst in through the door, loudly as always.

"Your letter will be sent tomorrow, as long as the carriage for your guests. I found Louis, our messenger, fairly quickly, he says he'll give it to the ambassador." Arietta announced solemnly, she then looked at them, then scanned the room.

"Nerida! Why did you finish organizing the closet? That was my job!" Both engaged in a little discussion, which finished when Nerida announced that Arietta should be thanking her.

"Fine, whatever," Arietta grumbled, and Agatha smiled at that.

The two maids were ironically hilarious.

The following days went by quickly, but there wasn't too much of a routine, every day was slightly different. One day she would go to the library, one she would have Etiquette with the Anemone lady, the next she wouldn't, and in the worst cases, she would have it, and dancing lessons. The latter being horrible in its own way.

"Actually," Emma Anemone remarked. "You're getting better at this. You're actually not slouching." Then she stacked a book on Agatha's head again, and Agatha fell down after making it 3/4 of the way to the end of the table. "Try again!" Professor Anemone then barked.

She had manage to skip it for four days, Arietta informed her why: seemingly, her professor had had a 'family emergency, and it needed to be attended immediately', Arietta also said Arthur wasn't too happy about it, after all, Agatha needed to learn how to dance, in 21 days, three exact weeks. For Agatha, not even a lifetime was enough, she would never learn how to dance, much less in three weeks. And she wasn't excited about who was going to be teaching her either, if he or she was going to be as annoying as Anemone, it was going to be pretty bad.

And finally, the time came. To dance.

Oh, terrible, terrible, terrible day.

As always, Arietta escorted her, saying she would love to stay and see Agatha dance, or at least try to do so, but she needed to keep working on Agatha's wedding dress. Agatha cringed when Arietta said 'wedding dress, cringing becoming a reflex of hers whenever anything that had to do with having a relationship with Tedros was brought up. Nerida had been off to work with another young royal girl as well.

Why couldn't Arietta or Nerida stay? To spare her at least some of the pain?

'No idea who this 'Elisa' is, wish me luck,' Nerida had said, not looking very excited.

Arietta took her to a part of the castle that was even farther than Etiquette. They walked for at least half hour, with Arietta guiding her through every twisting corner of the castle ('I swear,' Agatha thought, 'this place is secretly a workout camp'). Luckily, Agatha wasn't wearing heels today, she had been very clear about her opinion on shoes, especially if they intended her to dance. She still had aching blisters, which made her feet hurt a little when she walked. Arietta didn't get lost this time, which made the young maid very pleased with herself. Arietta had actually even given her a red dress that didn't reach the floor, and stopped right at Agatha's ankles. It was like any other dress, same embroidery, same tightness, and the same sleeves. The only difference, it was all silk, not even tulle details were used for this one.

Agatha shivered. Her red silk dress felt so bare. And not just bare to the cold. Bare to the blizzard that was this place, and the wind that was all her problems here... Agatha closed her eyes. If only the sun would come out now.

"We are actually going to the hall where your wedding reception will be held! Only a couple people get to see it, and I'm going to be one of the lucky few! It is said it is the biggest place on this castle, you know, with balls and all that. And it is going to be your first time too!" Arietta exclaimed happily, while Agatha frowned at that. She didn't really care about the place, and especially when the words 'dancing' and 'wedding' are being thrown around, she feels even more indifferent, and irritated too.

After what seemed like forever, plus a thousand twists and turns and feet padding against the clean, mirror-like tile, the two girls arrived said location. In front of Agatha stood the two of the biggest doors she had seen, at least inside the castle. Unlike any other doors, these were a nice shade of royal blue, with golden handles each, and if that wasn't magnificent enough, they also had golden details at the sides. Agatha took a deep breath, waiting for the two, grand doors to open.

They slid open flawlessly, without any creaks like Agatha expected them to, and as she stepped into the room, she finally understood what the fuss was over the place. The ballroom had magnificent white columns lined up at the side of the room, the walls were white, but they had so many golden engravings it seemed like pure gold. The roof was very high up like a swirling whirlpool carving deeper and deeper into the ocean or the sky, and it had not one, but several chandeliers lighting the room. The walls all had magnificent paintings full of light and color, and there were also many windows, all of them had royal blue curtains, as if to hide the place from the outside. Agatha was truly enthralled. It was as if she discovered the world's greatest treasure... She wasn't a big fan of ballrooms, but this was so beautifully done, so perfectly detailed, so glorious, so… stunning.

It almost made Agatha feel good.

"This is…amazing," Agatha said breathlessly, gazing at the ballroom, holding her breath. There was so many golden arrangements, so many paintings, and this room was the embodiment of greatness. She couldn't believe she was getting married here, in this place so huge. Well, she couldn't believe in the marriage itself.

"I know…" Arietta said in the same tone, both girls were taking in the overwhelming beauty of the place, when someone opened the doors. They turned around slowly, not wanting to tear their eyes apart from the walls the room offered. A man came through the doors. He had silver hair, he was wearing green robes, not as fancy as the one's royalty members wore, but still very nice clothes, and to top all of that, he was smiling warmly at the two girls. Agatha waited for his smile to falter like Anemone's had when she saw Agatha. It didn't.

The man approached them, Arietta curtsied like she always did, and Agatha just stood there, like always. After meeting Anemone, Agatha didn't really have any expectations with this man, but he kept smiling at her brightly, as if she was another princess in the castle.

Why was he smiling so intently at her? Agatha looked down at the silver tile beneath her feet. Why didn't he look at her in disgust?

"Mr. Sader, this is Agatha, our future princess and queen. Agatha, this is August Sader, he'll teach you how to dance, he has been teaching royalty how to dance for over a decade. You're in good hands. Sir, milady," Arietta curtsied again and left, and she then turned, waved at Agatha, mouthing a 'good luck'. Agatha mouthed 'I'll need it', Arietta giggled and left.

"Agatha, it is my pleasure to meet you, as you heard Arietta say, my name is August Sader, I'll be teaching you how to dance, at least the most basic for your wedding." He said, Agatha nodded, then mumbled:

"You'll need a lot of patience," He chuckled at that, to Agatha's complete surprise.

"Oh, don't worry, I have a lot of it,"

For the next hour and a half, Sader taught Agatha the steps to the dance she'll need to do on her wedding day, and for the next half hour, Agatha struggled and stumbled across the ballroom. Her feet were not made to dance, so she could barely walk without falling. Not to mention she had a tendency to step on Sader's feet. She apologized so many times it was embarrassing. Fortunately, he had more patience than Anemone, and by the end of the lesson, he was still smiling, Agatha didn't know how, but at least he wasn't yelling at her and her crappy dancing skills. He also had to tell her to correct a few steps, but at the end of it all, Sader seemed to think she was half-way near perfect.

Agatha never thought she would be waltzing in a ballroom, but here she was, well, she was trying.

"With how many people am I supposed to dance?" Agatha asked while Sader led her through the waltz's steps.

"With everybody who wants to dance with you," Sader replied, Agatha's eyes widened in horror. All the royalty would be over her, everybody would want to dance with her, to see how princessy she was, Agatha didn't even want to dance, let alone with strangers. They would want to test her limits, and judge her...

"Do I really have to?" Agatha asked, Sader nodded in reply while Agatha frowned, resisting the urge to let out a lot of complaints and among them, many curses. Dancing would never be something she enjoyed, much less when she is forced to do so, but she would have to, in three weeks. She thought about how she would have to dance with Tedros, the sole thought made her skin crawl. He probably though the same about having to dance with her, but at least he has an idea of how dancing works, unlike Agatha.

Shortly after that, Sader announced it was over for today, he also said he would see her tomorrow at the same time and location. Agatha nodded at all that he said, not knowing what to say, he had been rather nice with her, especially if you consider how bad she was at dancing.

"How many times will I have to do this?" Agatha asked curiously, she hoped he would say only twice.

"At least four times a week, they really want you to be a good dancer, some weeks we'll probably meet six days," Sader replied, Agatha frowned again, that was too much just for dancing, besides, it was a hopeless attempt.

"Well, it has been my pleasure meeting you, Agatha, I look forward to see you again, you're not as bad as you think, you're just a beginner, remember that." Both bid their goodbyes, Sader left, but Agatha stayed at the ballroom, waiting for either Arietta or Nerida to arrive. She paced around the room, observing all of her surroundings. She couldn't fathom a wedding here, her wedding. She tried to picture the place filled with guests, rich people poking their noses high in the air, looking at her disapprovingly, as if she wasn't good enough. She then pictured Sophie here, talking to everybody at the same time, gushing about how everything was so perfect. The thought cheered up Agatha.

In that moment, Arietta and Nerida came in, both with smiles on their faces, Arietta spoke first.

"Hey! How was it? Too bad?" She asked, Agatha approached them, she shrugged.

Sader was pretty nice, really. There was still a warm bubbly feeling in her chest that remained there after Sader left the ballroom. It was definitely strange.

"Just like I thought it would be, but at least I didn't get yelled at," Agatha replied, she and the maids were walking to their next stop, except Agatha had no clue where that was.

"Well, Sader is a very nice man, from what I've heard, I thought you would at least tolerate him," Nerida said nonchalantly, Agatha nodding in reply. She then asked what they did, Arietta said she worked on Agatha's dress, saying it was nearly done, while Nerida said how it had been to briefly serve Duchess Elisa.

"She already fired me, but it is alright. Oh, she'll be going to your wedding, by the way," Nerida commented.

"Great," Agatha said sarcastically.

All the reminders of the weddings... Just ugh. Agatha somewhat got used to them, but sometimes comments about it would hit Agatha in the face. Hard. How many more nobles, dukes, and duchesses will be arriving at the 'wedding of the century'? Agatha was quiet for a moment. What would they see in her? Agatha cast her gaze down.

Nerida peered at her face, and looked tempted to ask "are you okay?", but kept quiet. It snapped half of Agatha out of her misery.

"You know, she criticized you so much! She said you are a terrible idea, that a person like Tedros should be marrying someone like her, that was when I stood up and said: 'You are terribly wrong! Agatha is a wonderful choice for the Queen, she and Tedros will be a great match', and then she got mad and decided to fire me, but it was worth it," Nerida commented in her usually passive tone, Agatha raised her eyebrow.

"You believe all that you said?" Asked Agatha, incredulous at Nerida's words, the maid shrugged

"The first part, yes, the last one, eh, we'll see what comes out of your marriage," Nerida said it in such a simple tone it irked Agatha, she still feels sick about the marriage subject.

In a soft voice, somebody asked:

"How do you feel?"

Agatha spun on her heal, looking to who asked her that. Nerida? No, it didn't sound like her. It was way too quiet to be Arietta...

"What's wrong?" Nerida asked a second after Agatha suddenly spun. Agatha's eyes widened as she turned to Nerida in horror. Why did everything have to wrong?...

"Nothing," She mumbled.

How did she feel? She felt like a failure. Professor Anemone said that she was making progress, but she had to quicken the pace by a lot. And after all the times she stepped on Sader's feet today... Agatha bit her lip. No. She couldn't think about it.

"I've gone this far, haven't I?" Agatha thought. "I couldn't back out now."

After Agatha's sudden turn, everything settled down. They kept walking and talking, just like they always did.

As the days passed, all that Agatha and Tedros heard was the word 'wedding'. It was so annoying. Both teens were tired of the word, and as weeks passed, the day just came closer and closer, yet they still had problems standing in the same room. While there was people present, they acted politely towards the other, but when they were by themselves, they insulted the other as much as they could. Agatha said it was a great way to relieve her stress, Tedros sort of agreed with her.

Yet, every day, Agatha found herself improving. Professor Anemone commented on how she graceful and elegant like a swan, though Agatha never noticed. She tried walking the whole distance of the table with the book on her head, and she succeeded. Agatha didn't notice it, but she sipped her drinks now, and she ate her meals in a good-mannered way.

Sader commented how Agatha's dance steps were almost perfect. Warm bubbles spread across Agatha's chest at that statement.

She almost felt... At home in this place now. Almost.

When there were only five days left for the wedding, Agatha waited for Sader for her dancing lessons, Tedros came in through the doors, she shot him a confused look.

"What are you doing here?" Agatha asked curtly, she gotten used to Sader, and begun liking him in a way... But Tedros? She didn't need Tedros here to make it all crash down.

"I was told to come here," He said, in the same curt tone as Agatha's, as she narrowed her eyes. He really shouldn't be here, she didn't want him there, and she was not in the mood to be judged by Tedros out of all people.

"You shouldn't be here, unless you want to dance with me," Agatha said coldly, Tedros snorted at the comment.

Everything that made Agatha feel warm about the palace now shattered to pieces. Tedros. Tedros was the reason she was here. Nothing else. Nothing. Else.

"I would rather dance with a poisonous snake," He retorted, and before Agatha could even open her mouth, Sader entered the room, both turned to look at him, he had his usual smile plastered to his face.

Agatha wanted to throw herself at his feet and plead and beg him to save her.

"Ah great, I see you both are here. I know you probably are confused as to why the other is here, but seeing as the wedding day is no close, I decided it would be a good idea to have you dance with the other," Sader said, Agatha and Tedros widened their eyes, showing silent refusal to do such thing.

Dancing was actually going pretty well for Agatha. Of course that had to be ruined.

"But…why?" Agatha asked like a child who didn't want to do something, eyeing Tedros, his eyes glued to Sader, the man replied calmly:

"Because, you need to get used to dancing with the other, now, please, take your positions," Agatha slumped for the first time in a week and walked towards Tedros. They awkwardly clasped their hands, as he reluctantly placed his hands around her waist, the sudden contact making her flinch, while she placed her pale hand on his shoulder. Saying Agatha was uncomfortable would be the understatement of the century. She didn't mind that much dancing with Sader, he was really patient and he actually seemed to like Agatha, but with Tedros, it was just…weird. They were too close for either of their liking.

Agatha and Tedros were barely touching each other, and staying as far away from each other as possible. Tedros's fingertips brushed the sides of Agatha's waist while, Agatha lightly touched Tedros's shoulders, the two making the gap between them as wide as possible.

And then, the music started.

Welcome to torture.

Tedros led Agatha, neither making eye contact, focused just on dancing. As they moved around the room, Agatha noticed she hadn't stepped on Tedros' feet not even once, and a little bit of pride rose inside of her. She still avoided looking at him in the eye, she kept her eyes focused on the windows, she didn't know why, but it would be even more awkward to make eye contact, they probably would have to look at the other on their wedding day, to look like they kind of liked each other, so Agatha raised her dark eyes to his light ones, then saw he was looking directly at her, their eyes locked, Agatha looked away quickly.

"Can we skip this at the wedding?" Agatha whispered, it was awkward enough without people looking, she couldn't imagine it with 400 guests here

"Skip the wedding altogether," Tedros replied in a hushed tone, and he spun Agatha around, they clumsily collided afterwards.

Ooh, the contact. Ouch. Internally and outside.

But somehow, it didn't make Agatha cringe. What was wrong with her? Why wasn't she cringing at basically falling into Tedros?

"Not made for this dancing thing," Agatha mumbled quietly, trying to shake herself out of her thoughts and feeling awkward about crashing into the boy she was supposed to marry.

"You're…alright," Tedros replied, Agatha looked up at him in surprise, Tedros looking away immediately.

'Was that a compliment?' Agatha wanted to ask, feeling really surprised at Tedros's words. Instead, she looked down and quietly said, "Oh."

The rest of the dance was in silence.

After they finished, Sader told them to do it again, it was still strange, but it was a little less awkward.

They were dismissed shortly after that, both left at the same time, Agatha didn't even wait for her maids. She just turned a corner and left. She wanted to forget about the wedding as fast as she could.

Tedros looked at her go quickly.

Was it just him, or did Agatha... change?

Her hair didn't seem as greasy. Her skin didn't seem so sickly. Her eyes didn't seem so bug-like anymore, but more like a warm cup of hot chocolate. Tedros slightly drooled at the mention of that. Wait... Did he just technically drool because of Agatha's eyes? No, it was the hot chocolate.

It wasn't just her appearance though. She seemed more civil. She didn't slouch as much. And every time she saw her go down a hallway, she had a warm look on her face as she traced a finger across the wall.

Tedros shook his head.

What was happening?!

He couldn't believe he had said her dancing was alright, and he felt stupid as he had said that. He regretted his words right after he said them. Was he starting to get used to her? Was he staring to…tolerate her? He groaned loudly.

He didn't want to admit it, but in a way, Agatha confused him.


	11. The day before the wedding

**Hey guys! After two long weeks I'm back! And I came with an extra long chapter to make it up. I know I said this would be the wedding chapter, but for the sake of Agatha's development, I added this one before the actual wedding. Also, SwanDestiny helped me edit this, thanks!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Sometimes, Agatha would wake up to the "beautiful morning sunshine" and not know what day it was. It could be any day of the week, but she wouldn't know until someone told her. Well, in her case, people didn't tell her 'It's Tuesday' or 'Remember it is Friday": They would use the amount of days left to the wedding. The word for it was annoying, like she would hear the words 'Two days to the wedding!' with some extra cheer and jumping before actually knowing what day it was. Unfortunate as the wedding was, it did guide her though, and she sort of oriented herself by counting.

She had woken up after hearing Arietta and Nerida talking, then they went on the usual morning routine: greeting her, asking how she had slept, one of them bringing her breakfast tray and Agatha eating (Professor Anemone praised her on her 'improving eating skills') while she sat at her bed and Arietta and Nerida would look for clothes for her in her closet. Agatha hadn't really been listening to what they were saying because she was still half asleep and to be honest, she didn't really care.

Until one sentence just happened to catch her attention.

"Yeah well, you know, they're saying tomorrow's wedding will be the 'wedding of the century'. People really have nothing to say," Arietta had said this in a nonchalant tone while she got out a dress out of the closet. Agatha nearly choked on her breakfast. The wedding was tomorrow? There was no way, there was no way today was Friday, and there was no way that tomorrow would be Saturday, April 19th. She could have sworn it was at least Wednesday, maybe Thursday at the latest, but definitely not Friday.

Suddenly, her choking became more violent, though Agatha couldn't tell whether it was because she was so scared out of her wits or if it was because she was actually in mortal danger of choking on her food. Most likely not the latter, as much as she would want to die on the spot to avoid the wedding.

"Though, Tedros really isn't too bad..." Agatha thought before she realized she thought that, her choking immediately stopping as she stared at her hands in horror. "I didn't think that! What I meant was: 'Tedros isn't really mean and snobbish anymore, at least."

Agatha was satisfied that. "Though I still wouldn't want to marry him. Maybe we might've became friends after a life-time... But no marriage." Agatha added to her train of thought.

There really was more important things to talk about though, other than correcting her own sentences and thinking about whether Tedros is a jerk or not.

"What do you mean tomorrow's the wedding?" Agatha asked, startled. Both maids spun around as if in disbelief while Agatha stood up and started pacing around the room.

'And what do they mean by 'wedding of the century'?" Agatha inquired, louder this time.

"Agatha, don't tell me you forgot your wedding is tomorrow," Nerida deadpanned.

This was not funny. This was definitely not amusing at all. It was drop dead serious. Maybe with the dead part ringing a bit of truth.

"Oh, and they're saying that because you're the first peasant to marry into royalty. Ever. At least in Camelot's lineage," Arietta replied matter-of-factly.

"No I did not forget! I...I just didn't realize today was Friday, are you completely sure today is the 18th?" Agatha checked again, both maids nodded, starting to get worried for their patroness.

Agatha felt a rush of nausea. She was so not prepared with this. She might as well go and pack up her things to go back to Gavaldon... Might as well.

Agatha threw out everything she learned at that moment in her state of panic. What would be the point anyways? How disappointed will the crowd be when they see her? Would they sneer and jeer at her behind her back? Oh no... She was not ready. In fact, Agatha felt like locking the door and crawling under her bed to hide.

"Are you alright?" Nerida asked, shaking Agatha out of her thoughts.

"I was, until I realized what day it was," Agatha replied, getting more stressed by every passing second. How much of a klutz she had been! Of course it was the 18th! They were actually one day away from the wedding. Then it hit Agatha. Her mother and Sophie weren't here yet. What if they didn't make it? What if they weren't there? What if this was no mistake? What if they had done it on purpose? What if they sent her away to abandon her, and never expected her to actually make it to the role of queen?

"Stop stressing," Her self-conscious ordered her. "Calm down. Calm down."

"I need to sit," She said to herself. She couldn't calm down! She felt stressed, then angry, then sad, then nervous, and the cycle kept going on like this for a while.

"Would you like me to get you something like tea or hot chocolate?" Arietta asked, trying to help out in her own way.

"Get me the biggest cup of hot chocolate you find. And cake. Or a cupcake." Agatha requested, and Arietta exited the room quickly.

"Look, I understand is very normal for a girl to be worried about her wedding day, but you need to calm down!" Nerida said, walking over to where Agatha was sitting, Agatha looked at her, Nerida's eyes filled with preoccupation.

"You don't understand, it is not the wedding itself," Agatha began, "It is the huge crowd, looking at me, every single second, the fact that my mother and my best friend are not here yet, and the fact that I'm going to be a princess, and I going to be a wife for crying out loud!" Agatha paused, her whole face feeling like it's melting as she went through everything she had to stess about.

"The whole kingdom will expect so much of me. I was not made to be a princess, look at me! Princesses are proper, and beautiful and they walk gracefully…they're everything I am not." Nerida raised an eyebrow at this, but Agatha ignored her.

"And what about Tedros? He is losing in this situation too. Marrying me probably is one of the worse things that have happened to him! We don't like the other, yet they expect us to adore the other! Not necessarily now, but after what happened with his mother, if they don't see any spark, something will go wrong, for all that we know, I could end up like Guinevere." When Agatha finished, there were tears in her eyes. She had been holding so much tension, she had just exploded.

Agatha felt so weak at that moment as she burst into uncontrollable sobs, like the crying was preventing her from talking like a dam preventing a river from flowing. This marriage was her river's block. Without it, she could return to her normal life without anything to worry about, but the marriage just had to block her path. And now, now the tears and stress and everything she's been holding back by her dam was now broken, and the water and tears were rushing out, and she couldn't stop it.

She was never meant to be a part of this...

Nerida hurried and hugged her, murmuring comforting words to her and rubbing her back while Agatha kept sobbing uncontrollably.

"Agatha, you're going to be alright! I know you don't believe me, but you will. I know you think you don't act like a princess because you have no manners, but lately, your posture has been rather great, you barely even slouch. You don't roll your eyes as much, and you don't snort that much either. What I'm trying to say is that you've been acting…classier lately." Agatha looked up at Nerida, surprise written all over her face.

"And trust me, all arranged marriages start out awkward, but many of them end up actually liking each other, even if they're only friends. I know you think it'll probably won't happen with you and Tedros, but who knows? And don't say you could end up like Guinevere! Just because there are similarities between the two of you doesn't mean anything. Again, I know marriage is a really big deal, but you are bound to at least tolerate the other, and don't you do that already?" Nerida finished, still hugging Agatha, the latter pondered for a second. She still didn't really like Tedros that much, but after nearly a month of seeing him and having to dance with him, she is sort of used to him now.

It took awhile for all her last tears to flow out of her eyes and drip down onto her slightly damp dress where tears had fallen, and it had took some time for Agatha's dam to rebuild and for her walls to be put up again. It took some time for her to be strong oncemore.

"I...I could do this, couldn't I?" Agatha asked, her voice breaking at the last word, though no more tears leaked out.

Nerida nodded. "I have all my faith in you, Agatha."

They were like that for a moment, Agatha wrapped up tight in Nerida's comforting arms, the two of them staring at the walls wordlessly and motionlessly, thinking about all that happened in just one single month. For Nerida, she was thinking about how much Agatha managed to change, and how this really wasn't the end of the world, and how much faith and love she felt towards Agatha. Meanwhile, Agatha was thinking about how great and comforting Nerida really was.

"It is hard to say, really," Agatha finally said. "But I guess it really just dawned on us that we're actually doing this." Agatha thought about the other day, when she had to dance with Tedros and she didn't flinch at his contact. The memory of it still bugged Agatha.

"See? In a year you'll probably be sort of friends, at least, maybe you guys could work. We don't really know," Nerida offered, shrugging her shoulders. Agatha usually trusted what Nerida said, but not even Nerida could convince Agatha on this subject.

"I doubt it, Nerida," Agatha said gloomily, looking out of the window. Rain was pouring out from the grey clouds today, pittering and pattering their usual pattern as they contacted the ground. The dark grey clouds loomed over Camelot, as if threatening to strike the whole kingdom down. Agatha shivered. Rain was usually a light shower in Camelot. Today just wasn't a normal day then.

"I mean, I know they chose you as a joke, but I think you guys could…" Nerida gesticulated, but she remained quiet, as if looking for the perfect word. Agatha raised her eyebrow.

"We could what?" Agatha asked Nerida.

Nerida was silent for a moment, as if pondering whether she actually wanted to tell Agatha whatever she was thinking.

"…like the other, as in, you know, like each other," Nerida explained awkwardly, Agatha glared at her, as if to say 'yeah right'.

Out of all the things in the world, how could she and Tedros like each other?

"Where did you even get the idea? Arietta?" Agatha asked sarcastically. Nerida rarely spoke about her and Tedros getting along, that was more of Arietta's thing, and Nerida would usually shut her up. Nerida looked away awkwardly.

"Well…" Agatha gestured her to continue, for the first time, Nerida fidgeted in her spot.

"Do you really want to know?"

Agatha nodded.

Though sometimes not knowing things were better than knowing the truth, she needed to know this.

"One day, before you woke up, Arietta and I were talking about how Tedros had never found someone who pleased him, because you know, they just liked his looks and all that stuff, so Arietta argued he should love you already because you weren't like that, I had to agree of course, his attitude towards you was pretty ungrateful, then Arietta, in her teenage delirium, blurted out of nowhere 'they would look cute together' and I was mildly confused as to why and then she explained me why you could work…then I sort of agreed with her, but I'm not trying to convince you or anything!" Nerida threw her hands up in the air, as if saying 'let me explain the rest first!'.

"I was just saying it doesn't have to be as bad as it may look," Nerida explained, mildly embarrassed of admitting said things. Agatha just gave a shrug.

"You know Arietta, she's got her head on the clouds, and I was surprised she hadn't hinted any of that yet," Agatha said, a certain undertone of annoyance to her voice. She really liked Arietta, but sometimes she annoyed her with her optimism.

Maybe it was because she was stuck in a graveyard for 17 years of her life. Maybe it was because she stayed in her little cramped house, hiding under the dark, writing poems about depression and darkness while she fed her cat Reaper... What would Reaper be doing now? Where was Callis and Sophie?

"Yeah well, at least she's a good person, and a really good tailor too," Nerida observed, back to her usual, passive tone.

Arietta coincidentally entered the room at that moment. She had a cup in her hand, and in her other hand she had a piece of cake in a plate.

"I thought you would like their chocolate cake, it tastes like heaven!" Arietta said, handing both things to Agatha. The cup of chocolate had whipped cream and had a cherry on top, and the cake had so much chocolate it looked magnificent.

Agatha tasted the cake first. It did taste like heaven, and it was the best cake she'd ever had. She rarely got any dessert, and she didn't exactly know why, but if it always was this good, she was missing on some good food.

She ate it ravenously, lately, Agatha was hungrier than usual. She didn't know if it was the stress, or if it was because she walked so much it made her extra tired and therefore hungrier. She then drank the hot chocolate, she drank it slowly, apparently, they were hiding the best from her, because this was also the best thing she had ever drank.

"Thanks Arietta, I have a tendency to eat more when I'm stressed," Agatha confessed, the more stress, the more she ate, especially sweets.

"You know, Tedros loves this hot chocolate and cake too!" Arietta said with a happy bounce as Nerida sent her a look. Arietta stopped bouncing.

Agatha just looked at Arietta for a moment before continuing her stress-eating fest.

"So, what did you talk about when I wasn't here?" Arietta continued, moving onto a new subject. Agatha and Nerida shared a look, then they explained Arietta, about Agatha's concerns and all.

"Oh! Do not fret Agatha! Everything will be fine tomorrow, we'll make sure to help everything goes accordingly, trust me, I know weddings are super stressful, but I do think you will survive," Arietta offered, Agatha smiled.

She would be lost without them.

* * *

The day then followed its usual routine: both maids dressed Agatha, then they escorted her to Etiquette, Agatha stayed there for a full hour, then, Nerida came and took her to her dancing lessons, where she stayed for a full hour and a half.

It almost made her feel like this was going to happen every day, and the wedding will always be in the distant, distant future.

Etiquette today was more bearable. Professor Anemone seemed to be in a good mood, though Agatha didn't exactly know why, but at least she was nicer to her. Etiquette had gotten more tolerable over the last couple of weeks, Agatha had been slouching much less, which meant she had less problems with carrying a book on top of her head, and every day, she came closer to walking the whole distance that Anemone told her to walk. This fact made Agatha feel rather proud, when she had started, she could barely even balance the book, now she could almost walk a yard with it on her head.

Professor Anemone politely greeted her, Agatha curtsied, remembering what she had taught her last week. Anemone almost immediately handed her the book, Agatha placed it atop her dark hair, fixing it carefully, when it was still, she started walking. Agatha walked slowly and carefully, being extremely careful with her posture. She kept walking and walking, marveled at the fact she was still going. Until Anemone ordered her to stop.

"You can stop, you reached the ending point," Anemone announced, a little surprise in her voice, Agatha turned (slowly, so the book won't fall) around to face Anemone, her face wore an astonished expression to it. She made it, not even Agatha could believe it.

"Are you completely serious?" Agatha asked in a surprised tone. Anemone nodded, and to the woman's surprise, Agatha gave a radiant smile. Anemone had tried to teach her how to smile like a princess, it was so bad, Anemone had postponed the lesson. Yet here she was, smiling and walking straight.

Even Agatha was in a good mood after that.

"Well, take your break. You still need to learn about beauty and dressing, as our last lesson!" Professor Anemone paused, murmuring under her breath, "We won't need the smiling lessons anymore."

And even dressing up and looking better than she ever did before didn't make Agatha's smile waver.

Soon enough, Nerida went and got Agatha, and like any other day, Nerida asked how it went, but to her disbelief, Agatha said it went alright. When describing Etiquette, Agatha usually used words like 'terrible' or 'horrible'. Nerida was highly pleased at Agatha's apparent happiness.

Fortunately, the ballroom where they needed to go was somewhat near to Etiquette, so it just took them 15 minutes to get there. Nerida pointed out they were getting faster, Agatha happily agreed with her.

It dawned on Agatha this would be the last rehearsal before the wedding, after today, she would need to dance almost perfectly. Agatha internally panicked, she still didn't really feel too confident about her dancing, even though Sader always told her she was getting better, and that comment Tedros made the other day. Still, it just felt overwhelming out of nowhere.

"Is Tedros going to be there?" Nerida asked Agatha, she nodded.

"He should, it is the day before the wedding after all," Agatha replied, before realizing what she said. She couldn't believe she had said 'wedding' without cringing or stammering.

Nerida opened the magnificent doors that led to the ballroom, and of course it looked as perfect like it always did, only that it now had several round tables put for tomorrow's guests. They laid uncovered, and from the look of it, they were just simple white, round tables.

Sader and Tedros stood in the middle of the room. Sader was wearing light red robes, while Tedros wore black breeches, a white long sleeved shirt and a brown vest over it. Nerida proceeded and curtsied like every time she came, and she then left.

"Well, this is the last time you'll be practicing the waltz, at least the last rehearsal before the wedding. I honestly can't believe tomorrow you'll be getting married..." Sader uttered, that last comment earned him a 'me neither' from both teenagers. They looked away from each other.

"Get in position like you always do," Sader commanded. After so many times, it didn't earn him any kind of complaint, Agatha would simply put her hand on Tedros shoulder while he put his on her waist, and both clasped each other hands. Agatha didn't even flinched at his touch anymore.

They began dancing as the music began, Tedros leading Agatha across the ballroom. She had no idea how she would do this tomorrow, she knew they were supposed to look happy, after all, they would be just married. But how could they look at each other and smile?

"Do we need to look happy as we dance, at least for tomorrow?" Agatha asked in a low whispered, Tedros lowered his eyes to see hers, he nodded.

"Everybody expects us to, even my father" Tedros replied, annoyance could be heard in his tone.

"Can you do that?" Agatha asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

"I doubt it," Tedros replied, Agatha nodded in agreement. She hoped it wouldn't matter disappointing all those snobs.

"Should we…try?" Agatha offered, now Tedros looked at her dubiously, as if she was suggesting something out of the question.

"I guess trying won't kill us," Tedros offered, he shot her a dazzling smile, one that could've made any princess fall for him. Agatha froze, then looked away, she realized she rarely smiled, unless she was genuinely happy. She tried to duplicate what she did in Etiquette, she hoped it worked. Apparently it didn't, because Tedros let out a little chuckle when she did.

"What?" Agatha demanded angrily, this was why she didn't smile very often, she looked weird when she did.

"I just realized I had never seen you smile before," Tedros mused

"Is it that bad?" Agatha asked, she thought it was alright, Tedros smiled at that, while looking away.

"Not really, actually," Tedros replied, still avoiding Agatha's gaze. Agatha's eyebrows shot up in surprise, while she felt heat rise up to her face.

Are you blushing over that? What's wrong with you? Agatha thought, still surprised at her own reaction. She couldn't be blushing over something Tedros said! What was wrong with the world?

Agatha then glued her eyes to the floor instead of Tedros.

They danced in silence after that, and when they finished, Sader ordered them to do it again, like every other day. The good thing about both times, they didn't collide after Tedros turned Agatha. They were fairly good at this, well, at least it seemed Agatha was, Tedros knew how to do this since God knows when.

They practiced a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, even a tenth time.

Sader finally spoke again after that:

"Well, it's been my honor having you here, and it's been a pleasure meeting you, Agatha, you've come a long way, and I want to congratulate you on that. You're actually dancing very gracefully. I will see you again tomorrow, I'll be there for the ceremony, and then I'll be here for the reception. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to help a princess from Pasha Dunes, she seems to need some practice. You can leave if you want," Sader bid his goodbyes (while Tedros and Agatha muttered theirs) and left the room.

Agatha and Tedros stood in the room, awkwardly. Agatha sort of sensed they needed to… talk, seeing as tomorrow was the day they had been waiting for.

Agatha gulped.

"How do you feel about tomorrow?" Agatha blurted out, breaking the brief silence there had been.

"Extremely nervous, I can't believe tomorrow is the day," Tedros answered, looking at the tables that had been set for tomorrow.

"I know, I feel the same way" Agatha said, Tedros turned his face to hers.

"It's an alien thought to think that we… we're… going to be married," Tedros managed to say, Agatha nodded gravely. They had so many differences, they came from such different worlds, yet they agreed on a very important matter: they felt sick at the thought of marriage.

"It is not only that, it is all that comes from it. Responsibilities, to appear and act like we, sort of love each other…the whole…heir thing" Agatha barely managed to say the last part, even Tedros cringed at the mention of that topic.

"I've heard that my whole life, and it is still uncomfortable to hear." Tedros mumbled, Agatha nodded at that.

"Remember when at one of those meetings about the wedding, they tried to start talking about marriage consummation? I wanted to run away," Agatha said, Tedros laughed at that, but he then agreed.

"Or when Charles called you my fiancée? I saw you wince and cringe at the same time," Tedros mentioned, Agatha grinned.

"Can you blame me? It was weird," Agatha said, Charles tended to make things very awkward for both of them.

"Not really, tomorrow is going to be really…" Tedros was looking for a word, Agatha replied.

"Bad? Embarrassing? Awkward? Weird? All of the above?" Agatha offered, she still had more to offer.

"I'll settle for all of those," Tedros finally said.

"I'd settle for 'embarrassing'," Agatha answered, as Tedros bobbed his head.

"Oh, do we need to say wedding vows?" Agatha asked out of nowhere, Tedros nodded.

"Of course we do, why would you think we wouldn't?" Tedros asked, Agatha groaned loudly. What was she even supposed to say? She couldn't lie at a church!

"My vows are going to be very pathetic," Agatha admitted, slightly embarrassed.

"Mine are terrible as well," Tedros confessed, as ashamed as Agatha.

Agatha was about to speak, but in that moment Arietta came in through the doors.

"Your Highness, milady, I came here for Agatha," Arietta announced solemnly, Agatha and Tedros looked at each other awkwardly.

"I'll…I'll see you tomorrow, at the altar," Tedros said, in an uncharacteristic nervous tone.

"Yeah, I'll see you,"

They bid their goodbyes and Agatha left with Arietta.

"So, how was it?" Arietta asked, eager to know.

"Oh, it was alright," Agatha said, not giving anything away.

Tomorrow was going to be a very... unique day.


	12. Wedding: Part I

SwanDestiny: Hi! This is the co-writer (more like editor) of Imperfect Queen! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed editing it and reading over it!

Bandidaciega: Hey! THE WEDDING CHAPTER IS HERE! It is going be split into two parts: part I will consist of preparations, Part II will be the ceremony and the reception. And thanks to SwanDestiny for editing, like always. And thanks to Lizlen for sending me some for the wedding!

Please enjoy!

The last five days before the wedding had been the fastest passing days in Agatha's life, it was as if she had blinked and it was her wedding day already. Days always gone by slowly for her, as if they wanted for her to savor every single moment of them. No, but these special five days went by in a flash. It maded her excited, and made her want to get the wedding over with at the same time.

Agatha had seen fancy carriages coming to the castle, servants going completely out of their minds because too many people was arriving, Arthur and many of his advisors were helping him with wedding plans, and even Arietta and Nerida acting more jittery than usual, both worried about how they were supposed to look, and Arietta too excited about Agatha's dress. Agatha would not see it until her wedding day, which stressed Arietta out of her mind.

"I hope you'll like how you look, I really worked hard on it," Arietta confessed one day, and Agatha assured her she probably will look the nicest she ever had in her life, Arietta smiled after that.

"You know, it's like I want to show you this dress soo badly, but I can't!"

"I bet I'll still love it either way."

And even though that was merely less than five days ago, it somehow felt like an eternity for Agatha, even if the days seemed to pass by so quickly.

The day of the wedding, she had been in a deep, tranquil sleep, still tired from all the preparations they had put her through, especially the rehearsal the day before. Dreams tugged at her mind, distracting her from the big event that was to occur today. It was as if she found an escape in the dreams sleep provided for her. They wouldn't last long enough though.

 _"Sophie!" Agatha laughed, chasing after Sophie in the green vibrant hills of a place that she didn't recognize. "It's so nice to be with you again!"_

 _Though Agatha was good at disguising her feelings, she was so glad to see Sophie again. Could she actually be able to cancel the wedding and spend the rest of her days with a best friend who would never leave her side? It seemed to good to be true. And how did she escape from the wedding anyways?_

 _As Agatha ran to catch up to Sophie, she found instead Tedros._

 _"Tedros?!" Agatha asked, aghast-_

 _"Agatha!"_

 _A ringing of a bell echoed in the hills._

 _Tedros's face blurred._

 _"Agatha!"_

 _This time, the voice was louder._

 _"AGATHA!"_

Agatha now recognized the voice as Nerida's, and was quickly jolted awake. The wedding!

"Agatha! Wake up, wake up, wake up! The wedding is today! AGATHA!"

Agatha groaned and tossed a pillow at Nerida, rolling over on the other side of her bed.

"But it's only 7," Agatha complained, "The wedding is in 10 hours!" She rolled over again, kicking off the covers. Nerida just frowned at that.

"Get up!"

With one last turn, Agatha begrudgingly sat up and stared at the ceiling.

Oh gods. The wedding was today. What was she going to do? How was she going to survive this crisis?

The days before, Agatha simply dismissed the idea of this wedding. But now that it actually was here... Agatha didn't know what to do. She never actually thought this day would come. It'd always be 5 days, 4 days, 3 days, 2 days, 1 day, 1 day, some kind of amount of days until the wedding. Now... The day finally arrived. Agatha shook her head at the thought.

Nerida, seeing Agatha's realization put her hands on Agatha's shoulders in a reassuring way.

"I know, but we have a lot to do," Nerida started, "We need to do your makeup, do your hair, pluck your eyebrows, getting you on your dress..." Nerida trailed off at Agatha's shocked expressions. "First things first though, you need breakfast." Nerida went and got the tray with Agatha's breakfast. Agatha looked at it, staring at bread with some fruit and orange juice. Nerida placed the tray on her legs, and Agatha ate silently. Today was the day, after this there was not going back: She would be a married woman, and not only a married woman, but a princess. Suddenly she wasn't hungry. She had come so far, all the way from Gavaldon, just to get married, and today was that day.

Agatha looked around, she couldn't spot Arietta, which was odd, the two maids were always in tandem.

"Where's Arietta?" Agatha asked with curiosity.

"She's looking for your dress, and for other maids, each of us will do a different task today," Nerida replied matter-of-factly.

"How many maids do I need?" Agatha asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"About four or five, just getting you into the dress will take three of us, and your hair will be a lot of work, even though it is short in length," Nerida replied. Agatha looked at her hair for a moment, noticing it reached a little beyond her shoulders.

Five maids? That was too much. Would they all work at the same time? And what are they going to do with her hair?

Were they going to twist it in ways that it'll never be fixed? Agatha was not looking forward to this...

"What are you going to do in my hair?' Agatha asked, confused as to how much they could do with it.

"Oh, you'll see," Nerida grinned wickedly, it didn't help Agatha's uneasiness.

The doors suddenly burst open, revealing four girls, all in a uniform identical to that of Nerida's with a blue skirt, white long sleeved shirt and a little white bow tied on the top of their heads.. They ranged in all type of physical features: One was a tall brunette with long bushy hair and black eyes, other was short and had red hair pulled in a braid, she had small blue eyes, a third one was a skinny black haired girl, brown eyes and she was smiling, lastly, a blonde that had her hair in a ponytail and had light green eyes. She was the tallest of the bunch, and she had a bored expression written all over her face.

Agatha just stared at the quartet, and they all curtsied and said in unison: 'Milady', Agatha just stood and looked at them, while eating her toast. Nerida rushed to where Agatha was.

"Milady, this are all maids that will help out to 'beautify' you, let them introduce themselves, as you all know ladies, this is Lady Agatha," Nerida said.

"I'm Emmeline, milady," The brunette said, bowing afterwards.

"I'm Margaret, milady," The plump one said, also curtsying.

"My name is Heloise," Said the black haired one.

"And I am Tatiana," Said the blonde one, with the same bored expression. Agatha just looked at them and nodded.

"I already started your bath, you'll just have to wait for the tub fill," Nerida said quickly, it was as if today she was in a hurry too. But of course, she needed to get ready for the wedding too.

"Nerida, when will you and Arietta get ready for the wedding?" Agatha asked. Nerida was doing her bed, she then replied:

"After you're completely ready," Nerida replied, fixing the pillows on the luxurious bed. A thought dawned on Agatha at that second: Arietta said she would stay on this bedroom until she got married, which meant today she would sleep in another chamber. Correction, she would sleep in another bedroom with Tedros. She cringed at the thought, a scarlet blush rose on her cheeks.

"Nerida, come here for a second," Agatha called, Nerida hurried there, Agatha signaled her to bend down, she then whispered:

"Am I going to be going to another chamber…tonight?" Nerida nodded, her expression slightly apologetic, Agatha could've died at the spot.

"Sorry, these girls will move your belongings... But you get a great chamber, though," Nerida said, some (slightly forced) optimism could be heard in her voice.

Agatha just dumbly nodded, unsure of what to say.

Just a few minutes after that, Arietta burst in through the doors, loudly as always, she was carrying what looked like Agatha's dress, yet she had a preoccupied expression on her face. She went straight to Agatha.

"Agatha, there's someone out there claiming she knows you, I don't know wh—"

She was interrupted by someone yelling outside the chamber's doors, someone very loud.

"Let me in! I'm telling you, I'm the bride's best friend! LET ME IN!"

Realization dawned on Agatha.

A girl made her way inside, and just for a second, Agatha couldn't recognize her after spending a month away from Gavaldon. With golden princess locks that cascaded down to her waist, clear green emerald eyes, smooth and perfect skin, and lush pink lips waltzed in a girl that Agatha knew for 12 years. She wore an expensive plum-colored pink dress, radiant and glowing against the soft glow of what would use to be Agatha's room.

"Sophie?!"

"Aggie!"

Agatha smiled, seeing Sophie for the first time in a month, feeling excitement and happy gnaw at her heart. Both Sophie and Agatha ran towards each other, bumping into each other with a small "oof" before wrapping their arms around each other in a tight circle of friendship. Agatha used to didn't know life without Sophie before making it to Camelot, and now that she got used to a life without Sophie, Sophie bursting through her royal doors was like a pearl or a beacon of light shining in Agatha's eyes.

Agatha and Sophie stared at each other for a moment, sweet and salty tears pooling in their eyes as they beamed at each other. A single tear leaked out of Sophie's eye ("Always the drama queen," Agatha thought).

"You made it in time, I'm so glad you're here," Agatha whispered as Sophie tightened her grip on her.

"And I'm so glad I'm here for your wedding!" Sophie broke her grip, she had no makeup on, and her hair was sort of messy, yet she looked beautiful like always.

The two girls stared at each other for a little moment longer. Both of the girls were filled with some kind of wonderful sensation that only a best friend could make another friend feel as they stared at each other's eyes, both silently sharing the month's past experiences unknowingly to each other. Both Agatha and Sophie's smiles grew softer, but their eyes were dancing with joy.

And then, Sophie decided to break up the tender moment.

"Now, real talk: Tell me everything, are all these girls your maids?" Sophie gestured at the maids while Tatiana just looked at Sophie with disdain. "Have you worn makeup? Oh, and how's your fiancée?" Sophie grinned at the last part, and Agatha rolled her eyes at that.

"Did you read my letter?" Agatha asked, "Because I expressed rather clearly how I feel about him,"

"I did! But, how does he look like? Is he good looking?" Sophie asked eagerly, before she could reply, the crowd of girls giggled and answered:

"Yeah, he is" Said Margaret, the short red-haired, and all the girls agreed, Agatha rolled her eyes again, while Nerida just laughed.

"Anyhow, your mother should be coming soon, oh, and my father came too, he said he didn't want me to come by myself, I told him your mom was coming, but he still came, I hope you don't mind," Sophie babbled on continuously while Agatha smiled brightly, her mother had also made it!

"Thanks heavens, you were the only people I wanted there!" Agatha then quickly looked to Nerida, and added "That are from Gavaldon I mean" Agatha said, Nerida then stepped forward.

"Excuse my manners, but I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Nerida," Nerida said to Sophie, she then introduced the other girls in the room. She clapped her hands loudly.

"Okay ladies! We have a bride to prepare and three guests to settle in, Heloise and Tatiana, take Sophie to her room, Emmeline, you take Agatha's mother to a free room nearby, and Margaret, you take Sophie's father to yet another chamber. Arietta, you stay here and help me with Agatha's bath," Nerida ordered, the maids all rushed to get their job done

"How does your mother look?" Emmeline asked Agatha.

"Just like me but older, Sophie's father is probably with her," Agatha said and all on cue, they all rushed out of the chambers. Sophie waved Agatha goodbye.

"I'll see you in 20 minutes!" Agatha called out after her, and she waved again. Nerida put her hands on her hips, while Arietta grinned wickedly.

"Well, let's get you stunning!" Arietta exclaimed enthusiastically, while taking Agatha to the bathroom, which smelled like lavender in there.

Agatha would usually cough at the warm and cheap perfume that they sold at the markets in Gavaldon, but this actually... Smelled good, as absurd as that was.

"I know you don't like being undressed, but we'll have to undress you and help you bathe, just for today," Nerida warned. Agatha frowned, she felt uncomfortable being undressed and dressed every day, this was already and embarrassing day for her. "Just like a doll," Agatha thought, annoyed.

"Alright," Agatha sighed in defeat.

"Hey, don't worry, we're all girls in here," Arietta reassured, yet Agatha still felt uncomfortable.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with," Agatha said as she peeled off her slippers.

The maids undressed Agatha and then proceeded to bathe her. Nerida washed her hair, trying to get the little grease left out of it, while Arietta scrubbed her arms with a sponge, as if trying to get all the dirt she had gathered all her life. They finished rather quickly, both maids are usually quick and efficient in their job. Arietta sprayed some perfume, Agatha coughing in response, while Nerida gave her a towel to dry herself.

The good thing though, was that Agatha felt pretty fresh and clean, and it felt nice. Nerida then gave her a robe to put on, and Agatha tied it at her waist, tightly to ensure no openings. They almost kicked out Agatha of the bathroom ("Hey!" Agatha whisper-yelled as Nerida shooed her out), and they sat Agatha on a chair. Arietta dried her hair with a towel, she tried to dry it as much as she could, Nerida got her little silver box, then pulled out a comb, and started combing her hair, pulling out a few knots that Agatha had in her hair (she had much more when she first came to Camelot. Agatha yelped as Nerida tugged on a knot in her hair.

"Sorry," Nerida would mumble apologetically.

Later, Heloise and Emmeline entered, bringing Sophie with them, who had brushed her hair already, and they sat her on the bed chair to Agatha and started doing her hair.

"Turns out I get maids to make me look good too," Sophie smiled widely, Agatha smiled at her excitement.

"Typical Sophie." Agatha thought in her head.

"So, how was the last month here?" Sophie asked, Heloise was brushing her hair, Emmeline just stood next to her handing her utensils.

"Well, Etiquette is a pain, so is dancing, but Arietta and Nerida have been really nice, which is good, because I see them every day. The worst was all the wedding talk. But... I still missed you," Agatha replied, still wincing from Nerida's combing.

Sophie beamed at her.

"Me too, I couldn't help wondering what had happened to you, and your mother has been worried sick as well," Sophie said, and at that moment, as if on cue, a woman's head poked through the doors, one almost identical to Agatha, she smiled brightly at the presence.

"Mother! You're here!" Agatha exclaimed, Callis went to where she was sitting and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Callis said relieved, while she stroked her daughter's wet hair, a single tear slipping through Agatha's eyes.

" And I'm so glad you're here," Agatha sobbed, her mother hugged her tighter, she hadn't realized how much she had missed her mother. Both pulled away, Callis placed her hands on her shoulders.

"I'm very proud of you for doing this," She said quietly, Agatha nodded, tears flowing freely.

"I know," Agatha said in a hushed tone, they hugged again. Arietta and Nerida stood there awkwardly, yet moved by the mother-daughter reunion.

"Don't worry, you can keep working on her, I'll go get decent, at what time is the wedding?" Callis asked Agatha.

"4 in the afternoon," Agatha said, Callis rolled her eyes in that moment.

"Is only like 8 in the morning, why so much hurry?" Agatha shrugged her shoulders, silently agreeing with her mother.

"Lots to do, ma'am" Nerida said, back with Agatha's hair, "The maids that took you to the chambers will serve you, or guide you wherever you want to go,"

"I'll just go get breakfast, I'll be back later," Callis promised, then bid her goodbyes, and finally left.

"You guys look nearly identical," Arietta said, smiling.

"We get that a lot," Agatha answered.

"So, excited?" Sophie asked Agatha, she shot her a look that said the opposite, Sophie laughed.

"Alright, I get it, what are you looking forward to the least?" Sophie asked, Agatha replied almost immediately.

"The kiss at the end of the ceremony," The whole room exploded with laughter, Agatha didn't laugh, though, her face darkening at the thought.

"But what would kissing Tedros be like anyways?..." Agatha thought absently, before realizing and cringing at what she just thought.

"Trust me, he is not looking forward to that either," Agatha said, they all laughed again.

"Darling, we'll make you look so beautiful he'll want to," Arietta said between giggles, Agatha rolled her eyes.

"I really doubt that," Agatha retorted bitterly. Arietta still giggled.

"We'll see," Arietta said to herself. Agatha still felt incredulous, her first kiss would be at the altar, in front of hundreds of people, it would be so uncomfortable.

"And Tedros wold be my first kiss!" Agatha thought miserably. "Ugh."

Though she learned to accept the facts about the wedding, Agatha was not looking forward to it.

As the morning progressed, more maids came in, Arietta plucked Agatha's eyebrows, Nerida and Heloise did her hair, they curled it first, then they waited for it to dry, and made an updo with her hair. It took about two hours just to do that, and Arietta was still plucking her left eyebrow, Agatha still wincing. Nerida at the moment was fumbling around with a make-up kit, preparing to apply make-up to Agatha later on.

Sophie was getting her hair done, they did an updo at the top, but left some hair loose and curled it, Emmeline worked by herself, but managed to do her job efficiently. They talked about everything: Sophie asked the maids their names again, they told her how lovely she was, and then she asked Agatha so many questions: How's the ballroom? Where are her dresses? Favorite part of the castle?

In the midst of that, Sophie's father, Stefan, showed up, at about ten thirty in the morning. He came to check on Sophie, and to congratulate Agatha on her nuptials.

"There's not a lot to congratulate," Agatha said dryly, Stefan chuckled, he asked how both girls have been, they said they had been fine, he also asked at what time the wedding would be, Agatha replied again, he had the same reaction as Callis. He then asked something very important.

"Agatha, who will be walking you down the aisle?" Agatha stiffened, she hadn't realized she didn't have someone to do that for her, she had been so stressed about not embarrassing herself, so focused on looking like she belonged. How could she forget that key part?

"I…don't know," Agatha answered lamely, here she was, almost ready to get married, yet she didn't have anybody to walk her down the aisle.

"Because, I would be willing to do so," Agatha could have started crying in that instant. Stefan was not related to her, but he was willing do it, as if she was her daughter.

Agatha smiled whole-heartedly. There was a kind feeling in the atmosphere, that brought Agatha to the verge of joy and happiness.

"I would appreciate that so much," Agatha said quietly, on the verge of tears. Stefan wrapped her in a hug. Stefan had been the closest thing to father figure she had had, saying this meant the world to her would be an understatement.

He retired shortly after that, saying he would leave them so they could get ready. Nerida was almost done with Agatha's hair, she was just taking out the curlers out of her hair, while Heloise tried to get her updo to stay in place. Agatha had to admit something: she wanted to see what she looked like: Did she look alright? Arietta had said that she looked great, but Arietta always showered her with compliments, so she wanted to see for herself. Arietta had finally finished plucking her eyebrows, she gave her a mirror to see, her eyebrows did look better, they had a nice shape to them, and she also noticed she had some curled strands of hair at the sides of her face. Agatha almost gasped. She had gotten used to seeing the grime and oil all around her face, but now it was like a perfect pale complexion, eyes that looked chocolate rather than bug-like, and perfectly plucked eyebrows.

"Finished! Emmeline, now that you're done with Sophie's hair, go get her a dress, we'll start dressing her up. What color would you like?" Arietta asked Sophie, Sophie tapped her chin and thought about her answer.

"Can you go get me something in like baby pink? With a lot of details, please! You only go to a royal wedding once in lifetime," Sophie requested, Emmeline went straight to get it. Sophie looked at her reflection in the mirror, marveling at her hair.

"That Emmeline did a great job," She whispered, she then turned to Agatha. "You look so nice already," Agatha smiled at that.

"Well, I would say we're done here," Nerida said. She and Heloise stepped back to see the final product. Nerida gave her thumbs up, while Heloise clapped. Agatha stood and went to the mirror, and nearly gasped again. Her hair had never looked so glossy clean, most of her hair was up in the updo, but the loose strands looked almost perfect.

"It looks great," Agatha said breathlessly, though it was an understatment, and Nerida let out a relieved sigh.

After that, they gave her a break, saying it was only eleven (they were actually ahead of schedule, surprisingly). They would start her makeup in about an hour. They mostly stayed talking in the chambers, and at twelve Arietta got lunch for her and Sophie, which had been soup. Emmeline then brought Sophie's dress, but said they would dress her up closer to three, apparently. Sophie would leave before Agatha, at least a half hour before. Arietta and Nerida went out of the chambers to get their own dresses, saying they also needed to get ready. When they were back, each had a dress in their hands, more modest than that of Agatha's and Sophie's, but they said it was the appropriate thing.

Arietta had chosen a lime green dress, which had an emerald green sash around the waist, long sleeves, and only reached to her ankle. Nerida's was almost identical, but it came in light blue, with a navy blue sash around her waist as well. They did each other's hair, and Nerida got a braid for her long, black hair, while Arietta got hers in simple bun, with a few pins on her hair.

When the clock stroked one, Arietta said it was the moment they all had been waiting for: Agatha was getting into her wedding dress. This made her slightly nervous. What if it didn't fit? What if she looked ridiculous? Would she be the laughing stock in all of Camelot?

Agatha just tightly shut her eyes, trying to even out her panicked breaths.

"This might take a while," Nerida warned, they dressed her in layers, undergarments, then they tied the corset, which caused Agatha a difficulty to breath, then, Arietta got the dress in her hands, it was placed in a kind of bag, she spoke before getting it:

"Now, this is it, if you don't like it, I swear, I'll start crying," She then opened the bag, she unfolded the white garment, every girl in the room trying to see it, Arietta's hands trembled, Agatha just looked at her anxiously. Arietta finally unfolded it, Agatha's eyes widened, and some girl even gasped.

Agatha couldn't believe it. This dress was for her?

"Nerida, I'll need your help," They helped the other put it on Agatha, they tied it at the back, like any other dress on a regular day, except this was no ordinary day. It was anything but ordinary. Arietta adjusted it and fixed her skirt, while Nerida tied every single lace. Everybody was silent when they finished. Nobody made a sound.

"Oh no," Agatha thought. Anything, anything could go terribly wrong right at this moment.

"Do I look that bad? "Agatha thought anxiously, everybody still remained quiet, until Sophie uttered the words that broke the silence.

"You look amazing," She said breathlessly, Agatha went to the mirror again. She couldn't believe what she saw. She almost didn't even recognize herself. Agatha was utterly stunned like never before, not even as shocked as when the guards Chaddick and Tristan came knocking on his door, telling her that she had been chosen to be the Queen of Camelot. It was magnificent.

It was a white dress, with long, soft sleeves that reached her wrists. The train of the dress was very long, and as Agatha looked behind her - It made her look very graceful and elegant. The dress had a kind of belt made out of crystals, which shined different shades of colors whenever it hit the light. The skirt had silver embroidery everywhere, in all kind of designs like swirls and spirals and straight lines, all combined together to make Agatha look dazzling. The bodice also had crystals, glimmering in the sunlight whenever Agatha turned.

"I… I love it Arietta," Agatha breathed, Arietta squealed, she then hugged Agatha, and then everybody did, even Heloise and Emmeline. Agatha had never felt so pretty, so pristine, so… beautiful.

Ravishing. Lovely. Alluring. Beautiful. All of these words flitted through Agatha's mind like a single thought, like something Agatha thought she could never achieve... Not until now.

"I am so glad you made it, your work really paid off," Agatha said, feeling her skirt. She had never been enthusiastic about dresses like Sophie, but this particular one, it was different.

"We still had the makeup to do, the veil is in the bag, and Nerida has the traditional diadem," Arietta said, getting the veil.

Nerida lowered her head, and got the diadem out of her silver box: it was silver and it had diamonds and sapphires encrusted in it. Agatha had never seen something so expensive in her life.

"Meant for a queen," Agatha thought as she examined the diadem.

They placed it atop of Agatha's head, both maids instantly gasped.

"You look so amazingly beautiful! You are already a princess," Cried Heloise.

After that, they applied her makeup: powder and light pink lipstick, they were all in a hurry to do everything in time. By 2, Sophie, Arietta and Nerida were tasked to leave, seeing as they were all guests and needed to get to the church. They had decided to do the ceremony in the city's church, instead of the castle's chapel.

Time was passing quickly. Very quickly.

Then, by 2:45, Heloise and Emmeline were leading her out of the castle, they told her they would take her to a carriage, there, she would meet two guards, they would take her to the church, and finally, she would meet Stefan at the doors of the church.

They got to the carriage, Tristan and Chaddick were there, they greeted her very nicely, they all laughed at the fact they were reunited and were on a carriage again.

"Nervous?" Tristan asked Agatha.

"You have no idea,"

The church turned out to be rather far from the castle, and there was a lot of traffic, huge crowds of people were in the streets, all wanting to see the bride, or just wanting to see a royal member. They got to the church over an hour later, which left them ten minutes until the ceremony started. Chaddick helped Agatha exit the carriage. Tristan said he would get Stefan for her.

"You look very lovely today," Chaddick complimented, Agatha thanked him, embarrassed.

"Oh," She said quietly. "Thank you,"

"Wow," Agatha thought. Ediquette was paying off. She used to just say 'thanks' all the time. They really did manage to change her.

Tristan arrived and Stefan was there with him, he was wearing black breeches, with a white, long sleeved shirt, and a navy vest over it. This was when Agatha realized there was no turning back, she was getting married, right now.

She took a few breaths, as if gasping for air. She would be married to Tedros now. She would be the queen of Camelot.

"I never took any classes on how to manage a country!" Agatha panicked. "Or history! Or anything! I'm not ready to do this."

And then, Stefan sent her a smile, as if knowing exactly what she's going through. "Everything will tell and unfold itself in time, Agatha. Don't you worry."

Agatha looked up to see Stefan's blue eyes, bright and brilliant, as if he had all the faith in the world in her.

"O-Of course," Agatha stuttered, looking to the ground.

"Well, we'll see you in there, good luck," Tristan said, him and Chaddick left the scene, and went to the church.

"Are you ready?" Stefan asked Agatha, she shook her head.

"No, but I have to do it," She said, she inhaled then exhaled, Stefan gave her his arm, she held it.

"Breathe," Agatha reminded herself. "One step, two steps. Right foot, left foot. There, just keep on walking. You can do this, Agatha. You can do this."

"Alright, let's do this," Agatha said, she was so nervous she could feel her palms trembling, but she needed to do this, as painful as it was.

The doors opened at that moment.


	13. Wedding Part II

SwanDestiny: You will never know how long this took to edit this chapter. Heed my words! I needed 100 days for this! Of course, I'm just kidding... But acknowledge my work and part of this! ~From the hard working editor of Imperfect Queen.

Bandidaciega: Just like it took a lot of hard work to edit, it took a lot of work to write. But, we made it to the wedding! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It is the longest chapter ever: Over 6,000 words.

Enjoy!

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Agatha had never been so nervous in her life. It was a bubbling feeling in her chest, like as soon as it pops, the world will come crashing down. More than butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach - it felt like a whole zoo was crammed in there. And her heart seemed to pump as loud as the drums in the band, and was trying to break through her chest. So this was what it was like when you're going to be married to a person you don't want to be married to, and being introduced to a royal life that wasn't meant for you at the same time. This is what it felt like.

As soon as she stepped into the church, everybody stood. All faced her: Some smiled, some were expressionless, and some were just intently staring, which made Agatha really nervous. Nobles, royals, whatever they were, were everywhere, and Agatha had never seen any of them in her life. She just walked, slowly and carefully, her back straight, with her arm around Stefan's. Suddenly, all her lessons of Ediquette and manners came crashing down like a rocket in her head, whispering the rules of a royal, Agatha blinked, mustering up all her happiness into one bright and brilliant smile. She could feel the joy radiating from the people, all of them were happy. They would finally have a princess, a queen, a ruler to stand by the king of Camelot.

The thought made Agatha feel even more anxious.

Yet, Agatha kept on smiling, the corner of her lips staying uplifted and never faltering. Agatha silently prayed she didn't look stupid smiling, but apparenlty she didn't. The crowd seemed to beam at her, whispering among themselves about the beautiful new Queen.

She had been so busy looking at the crowd, she hadn't even looked ahead, to see the altar where Tedros was standing. He and Charles stood there, with two totally different faces. The priest looked as happy as everybody in the crowd, with his white robes the dangling cross he always had. Tedros stood at his side, he had a white shirt, with a navy blue jacket over it, which had at least a dozen of golden buttons, and he wore the typical black breeches, with black boots.

And unlike a lot of people, he wasn't smiling, his expression was more like…disbelief, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Shockingly, he did give Agatha a weak smile, as if it took all of his energy to do that. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Agatha took her eyes off of Tedros.

She searched among the crowd for any familiar face, Sophie, her mother, Arietta, Nerida... Even Arthur could work, but she couldn't see them. Not until she approached the front. Sophie was the first familiar face she spotted, smiling so much, it looked like it hurt. Right next to her, Callis was tearing up, and when Agatha saw her, she could've started sobbing as well. Her mother probably was still in shock, just like Agatha was. She didn't get to see Arietta and Nerida - the amount of people was too overwhelming.

At last, she reached the altar. She couldn't believe she was here, standing in front of Tedros, about to marry him. Agatha wanted to close her eyes. This was happening. This was finally happening. This was the moment. She couldn't do anything but wait to see what happened.

Of course, Agatha couldn't squeeze her eyes tight and run away. There was a crowd waiting for her. As hard as it was to believe, people were counting on her. She couldn't quit now. The marriage deal was seale.

Stefan kissed her cheek and then let go of her arm. Agatha almost wobbled at the lost of Stephan's arm acting as her anchor to the world. Stefan seemed to notice and gave her a last smile before he took his seat. Now, it was just the two of them, facing the other. Agatha needed to remind herself to look at Tedros, but it seemed as if he needed to remind himself to stop. The verb Agatha could use with the way Tedros was acting towards her was... Staring. Yes, Tedros was staring at Agatha, as if he had just noticed her for the first time. It was as if he was paying attention to every single detail on Agatha's pale face, from her big eyes, to her currently red lips, all the way to her crown atop her head.

Agatha slightly squinted as she looked into Tedros's eyes, like his blue eyes were too blinding to keep looking at. Tedros's eyes were still pinned on her, examining her, sucking in every single feature of her priceless face, her glossy hair, and her perfect figure. It must've been like a dream to him. In fact, the way Agatha looked was still a dream to her too.

The way he stared at her unnerved Agatha. Of course, this whole thing unnerved her. But what unnerved her the most was the light feeling on Agatha's chest, and the way her heart seemed to be fluttering. Yes, fluttering. It was definitely unnerving.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to unite Agatha and Tedros in holy matrimony," Charles announced solemnly. Agatha's heart sped up at that sentence.

"Now, I ask in the name of God, for this union to be blessed, for this love to bloom, and for it to be everlasting," Charles then went on to the Liturgy of the word, he read a passage from the Bible, then gave a short sermon about marriage. Agatha had never been at a marriage ceremony, but she knew they were usually long. Boy, was she right.

She could only hear the distant hum of what Charles is saying. With every passing word, the vows and the kiss came one step closer, slowly, one by one, but it came closer. There was only the way the sun shined on the crowd, the blue skies, and two people - a girl and a boy, nothing simpler.

"Now, the couple will share their vows, if you could all stand, please." Everybody stood at that moment, Agatha was sure that she couldn't go first, luckily, Tedros spoke at that moment:

"Agatha, I know that we didn't exactly fall in love the moment we met, but I assure you, I'll always respect you, I will always protect you, and I vow to do my best to love you everlastingly." His voice cracked at the end, and Agatha's eyes widened at his speech, her heart furiously pounding at her chest. Surely, he was only saying that.

"I promise that I will always be there for you, I promise to respect and support you. And most importantly, I promise to love you , no matter what happens," Agatha's voice cracked at the end as well. She felt like a liar when she said the last part, but that was all her brain could think of. Could they even fall in love? Agatha ignored the beat of her increasing heart rate at the thought of Tedros and her falling in love.

Oh no. They almost gotten to the kiss. Oh, no. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, and no.

Of course, Agatha's imagination decided to be a bit devious at that point. What would it feel like, feeling Tedros's lips on her own. To be in a corner, kissing to their hearts contempt? Agatha suddenly stopped herself. What did she just say? She blushed, though nobody could really tell since she already had blush on. What was she thinking?

"Now, the part we've all been waiting for. Tedros, if you could repeat after me, 'I, Tedros,'" Charles said. The couple then held hands, much to Agatha's dismay and embarrasment.

"I, Tedros," He repeated.

"Take thee, Agatha," Charles said.

"Take thee, Agatha," Tedros echoed again.

"To be my wife,"

"To be my, wife," Even Tedros choked up at that part.

"In sickness and in health,"

"In sickness and in health,"

"I will love and honor you all days of my life,"

"I will love and honor you all days of my life," Tedros concluded. Charles then turned to Agatha.

'I, Agatha,"

"I, Agatha," Agatha said, slightly struggling to even say her name.

"Take thee, Tedros,"

"Take thee…Tedros,"

"To be my husband,"

"To be my…husband," By every single sentence, the pauses became longer.

"In sickness and in health,"

"In sickness and in health,"

"I will love and honor you all days of my life,"

"I will… love and… honor you all days of my life," By the time Agatha had to say this, she was tearing up, and she didn't know exactly why. Maybe because this was it, because she would be considered a princess after this, maybe after all this lessons all she just wanted to run away. Her fear was gnawing on the doubt in her heart.

"Do you take Agatha as your lawful wife , to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?" Charles asked Tedros, he paused for a second, but he replied:

"I do," He said, his blue eyes unwavering.

"Do you take Tedros as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?" Charles repeated, and Agatha teared up even more, she felt Tedros running his fingers over hers. Agatha nearly froze. Was he doing that becauase of reassurance, or something else? After a relatively long pause, she answered.

"I do," She replied, holding in tears.

So this is what people crying at wedding were like, except Agatha had no good reason for it.

"Now, if I could get the ring," Charles requested, and to no one's surprise, Tristan stood in that moment, handed one to Charles, who blessed it at the moment. He then gave it to Tedros.

Agatha got a glimpse of the ring and bit back a gasp. Gold gleamed in the sun, shining brightly more than anything else in the wedding. It was all gold! Gold that Agatha never dreamed of seeing, being near to, or wearing!

"If you could say: 'I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.'"

Tedros seemed to stumble with the ring as Agatha watched intently. Tedros was mouthing words that Agatha couldn't decipher, and he stumbled even more as he slipped the ring on Agatha's finger.

"I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Agatha said.

One step closer to the kiss. One. Step. Closer.

"If we could get the other ring as well," Agatha didn't know why Tristan didn't have Tedros' ring, but then, Sophie stood, and Agatha understood. They asked each of their friends to have it.

She handed it to Charles, flashed a smile to the couple, and then returned to her seat. Charles also gave a smile blessing to the ring, then giving it to Agatha.

Agatha nearly screamed from the anxiety she was feeling.

Agatha took the finger with two unsure, trembling, pale fingers, afraid that she was going to drop it. "Please," Agatha prayed. "Don't let me make a fool out of myself." Agatha managed to move her two fingers holding the ring towards Tedros. Agatha squeezed shut her eyes. "Please, please, please, let this work." And somehow, she managed to insert the ring onto Tedros's finger. Agatha almost let out a sigh of relief.

Oh wait. They were offically married now. Rings and everything. Wow. Just wow.

"I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Agatha found herself miraculously saying.

Charles smiled at the couple before saying:

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,"

Agatha's eyes widened after Charles spoken that line.

This was it, the part Agatha had dreaded the most. She immediately shut her eyes. She suddenly imagined a clock ticking, one hand following the other, minutes, hours, days passing. This was the moment everybody was waiting for. It finally arrived. Finally.

Agatha felt something - somebody lean towards her, as if they were hesitant as well. She felt Tedros's rough hands from sword play slowly cup her cheeks. Agatha blushed as if it was a natural reaction, and her body started quivering. She opened her eyes, only to see Tedros staring back at her with his own sky blue eyes.

Somehow, she relaxed. Her knees no longer felt like jello, and her hands no longer felt like they were frozen. It was as if Tedros felt her shaking. Did he meant to soothe her?

And then, as quick as the moment came, it ended.

Tedros then closed the gap between them and kissed her. Agatha's blush intensified by a thousand, though nobody could tell because they were kissing. "Oh my gosh!" Agatha realized. "We're kissing!" She suddenly felt light, as if her feet had lifted up from the air and she was floating, floating away. She saw light bubbles, feeling just like one, and then they popped, like bursts of joy. She slowly pulled herself back to reality. Why was this kiss... Feeling so good?

Even though it felt like hours to Agatha, the kiss was only ten seconds long and merely a brush of the lips. Yet, it felt like a complete kiss to Agatha. "This..." Realization dawned on her, "Is... My first kiss."

The kiss ended with the sounds of cheers from the crowd. Agatha looked down, even after all her effort of looking straight ahead, and for the one hundreth time... Blushed.

The ceremony concluded with nuptial blessings for the couple, and a little prayer from Charles.

"I present to you our prince and princess, and future King and Queen of Camelot," Charles announced. Tedros gave his arm to Agatha as they stepped down and they walked down the aisle. People were cheering like crazy: they clapped, they shouted, and they yelped. Agatha saw Arietta and Nerida, both crying messes, but both smiled at the sight of the couple walking until they exited the church, as husband and wife. For the very first time.

Agatha's heart could have exploded. She couldn't believe what just happened. She was married. To a prince. Which made her a princess. And she had been kissed. She tried to register all that, but failed. Yet here she was, walking arm in arm with her…husband.

"Can we let go of each other's arm?" Agatha asked Tedros.

"Not until we get to the carriage," Tedros replied.

Agatha looked up and squeezed her eyes shut. How stupid did she just sound?

They walked a little bit more, until they saw a white carriage, waiting for them. Tedros helped Agatha to get in, and then he got in. They sat in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes, until Tedros broke it.

"Well…that was…surprisingly better, actually," He confessed, Agatha raised her now perfectly pluckered eyebrows. Not that bad? Agatha thought that was one of the most terrifying moments in her whole life.

"You think?" Agatha asked, disbelief dripping from her voice.

"Well, I mean, I pictured it more awkward, but it wasn't." Tedros admitted, Agatha's incredulous state got worse. It had been so awkward for her!

"Oh,"

"...Okay," He replied, sounding unsure of what to say.

"It doesn't matter, it's over…but now we need to..dance," Agatha remembered, it was like never ending torture.

"Right. You aren't too bad at dancing though," Tedros added as Agatha hastily looked away,""At least we have done that before, unlike saying vows, our looking at each other's eyes," Tedros said.

"Our holding each other's hands, or…" Agatha thought about the kiss, and she wanted to pull her veil over her face. Her first kiss had been at the altar, which was so weird. It was so uncomfortable to think about it, about Tedros kissing her, yet she couldn't stop. She was just expecting a peck, but that wasn't a peck. She blushed bright red just thinking about it.

"What were you about to say?" Tedros asked, bringing Agatha back to reality.

"N-nothing," She stammered lamely. 'Way to go, Agatha,' she thought to herself.

"Can I ask you something?" Agatha inquired, suddenly remembering something. Tedros nodded.

"Were your vows…true? Like, that loving everlastingly part?" Agatha asked. Now it was Tedros's turn to blush, which surprised Agatha.

"Well…I, I mean…I needed to say something, and I-I thought it worked…I don't love you, that sounds terrible, geez…What I'm trying to say is that…If we were to…you know…then, yes, I would. And I would be faithful, even if we didn't…fall in love," Tedros replied.

Agatha's eyebrows shot up again. Had he been considering that possibility? Was he starting to… like her? Agatha's features softened, seems she needed to evaluate that possible outcome.

"Oh…" She said lamely again. Now she felt like she had said the stupidest thing ever at the altar.

"You never mentioned your father would be coming," Tedros observed. Agatha's face slightly darkened as she lowered her head.

"He is my best friend's father, not mine. He just offered to take me down the aisle," Agatha admitted, she never liked talking about the whole father thing, especially with people she barely knew. What made her confess to Tedros? Well, he was going to be her husband...

"Oh, I'm sorry I asked," Tedros said, suddenly ashamed.

"It's alright, you didn't know." Agatha replied softly. It did affect her sometimes, not having a father and everything, but Stefan had always been so nice to her, and he didn't even need to. Agatha felt a pang of sadness in that moment.

They didn't speak much after that: just small talk about guests and the reception. Things that really didn't matter.

The carriage seemed to take longer this time, for it took them a good hour and a half to get to the castle. Agatha was really annoyed at that fact, but at the same time, it meant that by every minute passing, she was closer to be in the reception of her wedding. She didn't know what was worse.

After they finally arrived, the carriage was stationed at the same spot where Agatha had arrived: The drawbridge. Their guard opened the carriage's door for them. Tedros descended first, then he helped Agatha get down. The guard led them to the Inner Court, then, after they walked the small plaza, they reached the door that led them to the keep. At the keep, they went up the same stairs Agatha had walked a month ago. It was hard to fathom that she had a month here, especially at moments like this.

They walked the same dim corridors Agatha started knowing so well, but the only difference was they went left instead of right. They walked for a good twenty minutes, trying to get them to the ballroom was taking longer than the wedding ceremony. Agatha's feet ached. She had gotten heels again, and they were starting to create a blister. The guard took them through corridors with blue tapestry and paintings. Then, they reached a pair of golden doors, which had carvings at the sides. Agatha knew they had arrived. She was told the plan for the entrance: They would go down the stairs, then they would dance.

"Now, I need to check if you can go, give me five minutes," The guard said. He entered the doors, leaving the two of them alone.

In a matter of minutes, Agatha and Tedros would be entering the ballroom, they would face hundreds of faces while they waltzed down the ballroom. The thought made Agatha's skin crawl, she still wasn't used to all the royalty stuff. They waited quietly, both unsure of what to say. Luckily, the guard returned quickly, announcing they could enter.

Agatha took in a deep breath, as if to calm herself. She failed miserably.

"Prepare your best smile," Tedros muttered.

She gave her arm to Tedros, they both looked at each other nervously, knowing what laid behind those doors.

"Ready?" Tedros asked her, an unusual nervousness to his tone.

"Not really. Are you?" Agatha asked, Tedros shook his head violently.

"Heavens, no," And out of nowhere, he shot Agatha a nervous smile, in which she quickly looked away.

"Let's do this then," She said, they started walking, they opened the doors for them.

The view was overwhelming.

And so they started their act. They put on their happiest faces, their teeth dazzling and their figures looking perfect and stunning. This was the marriage act.

Agatha saw the mahogany stairs in front of her, then, she saw the huge crowd of people in front of her. They all cheered for them. The ballroom was adorned beautifully, but it all seemed a blur. Agatha just focused on walking without falling. Tedros and her walked down the stairs, both smiling lightly, just as they had been told to do. As they walked, the crowd started clapping for them, Agatha tightened her grip around Tedros' arm, as a sign of astounded by the sights.

Of course, they were still getting used to... touching each other, so everything like this ends up with blushes and looking away.

And finally, they reached the ballroom. Oh crap. This was it.

They assumed the position they always had to, and the music started. Oh, what a beautiful sight it was for the guests. Tedros led Agatha across the dancefloor, it was as if they were just gliding across the floor. Guests looked on intently, thinking that the pair were born to dance. In the midst of all her anxiety, Agatha couldn't help but feel…relieved. She had made it this far, which meant she hadn't failed. The thought made Agatha happy, and she even felt proud of herself. At this point, waltzing was not her favorite thing, but she managed not to step on Tedros's feet, and that was pretty good.

When they finished, they gave the crowd a small bow and curtsy, which according to Sader, was the appropriate thing to do at weddings. The crowd of guests clapped, and finally, Agatha noticed the venue. The round tables all had a white linen tablecloth over them, and the chairs also had a sort of covering cloth over them, which had a navy blue and golden bow at the back.

Agatha and Tedros then were allowed to take a seat. They sat at a rectangular table, which followed the same arrangements of any other table. She also noticed it had a centerpiece which consisted of a vase with some blue flowers in them. They did look really nice. Agatha never reall noticed them. And in front of them, laid two glasses of champagne, most likely for a toast.

Agatha wasn't too sure of what would happen next: Did they stay here? Were they waiting for something to happen? Then, she saw Arthur go to the middle of the ballroom, most of the people were already paying attention to him, seeing as not only he was the King but also the father of the groom. Agatha saw some sort of speech coming.

Oh joy. Wasn't life wonderful?

"Before I begin, I want to thank all of you for coming, especially all of the foreigners that are sitting here, because this is a really special moment. Now, I want to take a moment to congratulate our newlyweds. They have come a very long way, especially our dear bride," Agatha smiled at that comment, "I know that you probably don't want to take marriage advice from me, but I will give it to you anyway. Marriage is hard, and it takes a lot of work to have a functional relationship. It takes respect, it takes honesty. I have no doubt you two will have a wonderful life together, and I wish you the best. I know it will be hard, but I believe you can be happy. You already look better than just a couple of days ago. So I say want to make a toast, in the name of my son and my new daughter-in-law. For Tedros and Agatha, that God may bless this union. Cheers!" Everybody raised their glass in that moment and cheered for their new Prince and Princess. Agatha and Tedros joined as well, raising their glass of champagne. Agatha imagined there would be a toast, because every wedding has one, from what she had heard at least.

After that, the night progressed rather nicely. Shortly after the toast, a lot of people were in the dancefloor, not necessarily dancing, but they were mingling with people. Agatha and Tedros stood almost immediately after the toast, after all, this was a ball dedicated to them, so they should at least try and enjoy it. And nearly a second after they were standing, Sophie was already there. The first thing she did was hug Agatha, saying how happy she was for her. Then, came the somewhat awkward introductions.

"Agatha, aren't you going to introduce me?" Sophie asked, Agatha had completely forgotten Tedros didn't even know who Sophie was. It almost felt like Tedros was a complete part of her life now, and that Sophie knows Tedros.

"Oh, right. Tedros, this is Sophie, my best friend, and you obviously know who he is already," Agatha said, Tedros and Sophie shook hands, Tedros putting up an act about how he was so happy to finally meet his beloved's best friend (he doesn't know Sophie knows the truth about their relationship) and Sophie sending dazzling smiles everywhere.

"Well, how does it feel to be married?" Sophie asked, both of them were completely blank at that moment.

"….Strange" Tedros finally said, Sophie laughed at that, while Agatha silently agreed with him.

Sophie went on to ask other questions about the reception, and then she also congratulated them and wished them a happy life. She then left to mingle.

"You know, I may meet a prince in this place!" She exclaimed, Agatha laughed at that. She still thought sometimes they should've taken Sophie instead of her.

"At least she's happy." Agatha thought. Then, Arthur came to talk to them.

"As I said before, I really am happy for both of you. At least you can stand next to each other without feeling annoyed, at least I hope." He said, Agatha and Tedros nodded at that comment.

"You really have made me proud in this month, son. And we finally married you too!" He laughed, even Agatha let out a small, quiet laugh.

"Seems we accomplished impossible." Tedros said, Arthur agreed with him.

"Yes, and you look lovely, Agatha. Those maids did a good job," Agatha blushed and thanked him. He then hugged both of them and proceeded to go and talk to other guests.

Agatha and Tedros stood there for a minute, not knowing what to do. Apparently, nobody took the time to tell them what to do at their wedding, besides dance.

"Are we supposed to dance?" Agatha asked Tedros, he shrugged.

"We could, or we could just keep talking to guests. I'm sure they will keep coming to congratulate us," Tedros replied, Agatha simply nodded at that, she then started wondering: where was her mother? She remembered seeing her at the church, but that had been it.

"I think I will go and try to find my mother. If I can even see her," Agatha said to Tedros, but before she could start walking, he stopped her.

For a moment, Agatha remembered every single time Sophie babbled to her about the romantic books she read and how there was always a moment when the boy would stop the girl from doing something and then they'd share a passionate kiss. Agatha rolled her eyes at Sophie back then, but-

"Wait, shouldn't I go and meet your mother? I mean, I don't even know how she looks," Tedros said, and Agatha felt her heart drop. Shouldn't she be relieved? Then why did she feel slight disappointment?

"Ignore it," Agatha told herself.

"I suppose you are right," Agatha thought out loud, "She looks just like me, so that's a pretty good description."

Tedros seemed to plaster a smile on his face. "You don't look... bad... You look... Nice."

Of course, Tedros was just lowering down what Agatha looked like. Honestly, he couldn't blurt out about how ravishing Agatha actually looked to him, after being used to seeing Agatha look only slightly attractive - which was after a nice and long bath.

Both set out to look for said woman, which turned out to be harder than it looked like. Agatha thought she would stand out in the crowd, but the nobles and royals were all over the place. Literally. It took them a while, but Agatha managed to spot her.

It seemed Callis was also looking for Agatha, so when mother and daughter found each other, it was success for both. As expected, both hugged each other. It was a rather emotional moment for both, Callis said she was very proud of her, Agatha just remained quiet and hugged her mother.

Then, awkward introductions came. Introducing anybody was strange for Agatha, but this one was particularly strange.

"Uh, mother, this is Tedros, as you already know. Tedros, this is my mother," Agatha verbalized, Tedros shook Callis bony hand.

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am," Tedros said politely, and Agatha spared a quick glance at him.

"It is nice finally meeting my daughter's husband, after nearly two months and not even knowing what he looks like," Callis replied, in a sort of dry tone

"I imagine," Tedros mumbled in a hushed tone, releasing his hand from Callis's grip.

"I might go ahead and say: treat her fairly, please, she is the best thing that I have," Callis said softly, looking at Agatha.

Agatha had to admit: She teared up at that part.

"Of course, I will do my best," Tedros replied, while smiling brightly.

The three talked for a little bit longer, the conversation followed the usual congratulations, and it also included some of Callis's questions for Agatha.

As the evening progressed, Agatha encountered even more guests. She talked with a princess by the name of Kiko, who said to be from Neverland. She happily congratulated Agatha, even though she had no idea who this Kiko was, she turned out to be nice though.

"Hey!" Kiko said as she clumsily made her way to Agatha. "Congratulations!"

Next, She talked to Arietta and Nerida, both rushed to her and bombarded her with question, well, mostly Arietta.

"I am so, so, so, happy for you, Agatha. And you look so beautiful!" Nerida exclaimed happily.

"Me too! You are a princess, can you believe it? Okay, but I need to ask something really important," Arietta said, while bouncing on her feet.

"Arietta, don't do it," Nerida asked, a stern edge to her voice, Agatha looked at them puzzled.

"Oh come on! I will ask it: how was the kiss at the altar?" Arietta asked, suddenly extremely curious, while Agatha's mind was blown away. Was she entitled to ask such question?

"Uh…" Agatha said stupidly, Arietta was inching closer, her hands both together, having an excited look on her face. Even Nerida raised her eyebrows.

"It was…alright, I guess. I don't know," Agatha replied earnestly, it wasn't that…horrible. Of course, that was the understatement of the year.

"I can live happy now. See Nerida, nothing bad happened," Arietta said brightly, Nerida sighed at Arietta's happiness.

"Anyways, but he was sort of shocked with how you look, so that goes to tell us, we did a fine job," Nerida said, an air of victory to her voice, Agatha raised her eyebrows at them.

"I'll just agree with you, because everybody is saying I look great," Agatha replied, smiling at the maids.

"Even Tedros?" Arietta asked hopefully, Agatha shot her a look.

"He barely said anything," Agatha replied brusquely, Arietta giggled.

As the night progressed, Agatha ate, danced and talked with more people. In the midst of all, she had to admit she was having fun. People were being very nice to her, even though it was tedious to talk to so many strangers. For once, she felt like she belonged there. Not even dancing was that bad, now she felt giddy when dancing, not as if she was punished. Tedros actually asked her to dance a second time, which took Agatha by surprise, but she complied.

"Um... Will you dance with me?" Tedros asked while eyeing some of the nobles who didn't hide their interest for Agatha.

At the end of the night, she realized something: There was no cake. Strange, even Gavaldon's weddings had cake, they should have one. She asked Tedros, thinking he probably knew, then he answered her.

"That means they're doing something different," Tedros said, which left Agatha unsatisfied.

"What do you mean?" She asked again.

"Many guests have a little cake or sweet. They are gonna pile them and we need to go on opposite sides of the pile, then, we kiss, without making the pile fall," He replied nonchalantly, while Agatha was having a mini heart attack: kiss? Again? Agatha nearly fainted for the first time ever.

"How can you say that so calmly?" Agatha asked, her tone edged with disbelief. Tedros shrugged.

"I've always known I would need to do it," He replied passively, much to Agatha's annoyance.

And indeed, the pile of sweets was so tall, it was tumbling, so they were ordered to stop piling them. Agatha and Tedros were called to do this, but the pile was so high, they needed to get up on a chair. Sader helped Agatha get on the chair. Even though it seemed mortifying at first, it ended up being slightly humorous. For neither knew how to avoid touching the last pastry. Agatha blushed a dark shade of red, here she was, about to kiss Tedros, again. He leaned in forward a planted a peck on her lips. The pile didn't fall, it just tumbled a little bit. The crowd cheered loudly.

"Oh c'mon Tedros! Give her a real kiss!" Chaddick shouted from the audience, even Agatha giggled, still blushing. They got down from the chairs, and eventually, they actually were able to eat the pastries.

"Finally!" Agatha said, (elegantly, from ediquette lessons) eating a small chocolate brownie.

When the reception finally came to an end, all the guests left for their chambers, or their homes. Sophie, Callis and Stefan all bid their goodbyes, and then they eventually left. Arietta and Nerida stayed, because they're maids, and they were assigned to clean up. Nerida asked if they needed to be escorted. Tedros said he knew where they were headed, so he would just lead Agatha.

And so at 9, Agatha and Tedros finally left their reception, and off they went.

They were all alone. How awkward could this be?

Then, Agatha suddenly remembered something. Oh gosh. She would be sharing a chamber with Tedros. Forever. And that also meant sharing a bed.

The awkward meter just raised by a huge amount.

Agatha shuddered. Forever was a long time.

Yet, the shuddering also left tingles running across her body.

She was sure of one thing: This wouldn't be a typical wedding night.

When they finally reached their chamber, they stood awkwardly by the door. Tedros broke the silence.

"Well, the wedding is over. Wow. That's really hard to believe," Agatha nodded in reply.

"You know, we're not going to….you know," Agatha said awkwardly. Tedros suddenly blushed.

"No, no, no, of course not," He stammered, blushing wildly. Agatha found herself looking at his eyes, and then looked down, blushing as well.

Tedros cleared his throat before he opened the doors.

'Welcome to your married life,' Agatha thought cynically, as a room was revealed to her.

* * *

And that was it! The wedding is finally over, I can't believe that myself...Anyway, next chapter will probably be up by next week.

We'll see how it goes for these two...

Also, the toppling of the cake was an actual tradition, back in Medieval times, so I decided to include it. I thought I was going to include a part in which a group of girls want to rip off a part of Agatha's dress (Another Medieval tradition) but I decided against it.

Please leave a review!


	14. Awkwardness and lots of humiliation

SwanDestiny: I do happen to know I'm busy, and I sometimes procrastinate, but only about for 2-3 days on editing. You don't know that. So please. Do know that these chapters take an effort to write, and some to edit! Not as much, but still! I want nice, beautiful compliments from you that'll cheer up bandidaceiga's day!

SwanDestiny: Also, I'll let you guys know that I write too, other than editing. If you want something more than Imperfect Queen, savoring ever bit of the SGE archive, check out Written in the Stars! It only has two chapters, but I'll be updating regularly as soon as I'm done with Healing. So check that out!

Bandidaciega: Yes! We apologize for a little bit of a tardy update, this chapter took a little longer to write. But, you guys will enjoy it, be prepared for a big spill of Tagatha in this chapter….

Agatha knew this would be awkward, but she just couldn't get the magnitude of it. As soon as Tedros opened those doors, Agatha's stomach dropped and invisible weights seemed to tumble onto Agatha's body, making her want to collapse.

It was the definition of true royalty.

Agatha felt overwhelmed. Very, very, overwhelmed.

This chamber could put Agatha's old one to shame. The room was shaped like a hexagon, and it was nearly twice as big as Agatha's old room. The walls were painted a dark shade of red, some paintings of Camelot's beautiful scenery hanging on them. The floors weren't carpeted, they were just polished wood. On one of the corners was a closet, a little bigger than the one in Agatha's previous room. In a one of the walls, there was a wooden door, which Agatha immediately assumed it was a bathroom, or at least she hoped it was. The room also had a balcony attached to it, opposite of the doors. Burgundy curtains hid the alcove from the outside world. It also had a desk, nearly next to the doors; a desk made of fine mahogany. And seeing as it was such a big room, it also had a vanity table, with the characteristic mirror and some drawers; it was placed right next to the windows. Agatha had never seen one this close, though she doubted she would use it. And finally, there was the bed. Like it had happened before, Agatha just wanted to go and lay down in it, with all its covers and pillows. It was even bigger than her previous bed (she and Tedros were going to share it anyways...), with multiple pillows in various shades of red, the bedposts were also made of mahogany, and they had intricate carvings in them. Agatha had to admit it was a very fine chamber.

Neither really knew what to do, Agatha still felt strange in Tedros' company, and if it wasn't enough, they needed to share a chamber. And a bed. It was as if they wanted to purposely torture Agatha. Actually, the best thing that could happen to Agatha right at this moment was being swallowed by a hole.

Tedros cleared his throat, and Agatha realized he was speaking to her.

"So... what now?"

Agatha shrugged. "Let's look around... I guess." Her voice was uncharastically tiny.

They walked around, examining the room and every detail. Agatha ran her hands through the carvings in the bedposts, feeling the texture in her hands, running her fingers across the lines and the bumps. Tedros, meanwhile, looked through the desk, and he then found a bottle of champagne that had been left there, obviously for them to drink it. To celebrate their marriage.

Of course.

"Seems they actually believe we need this," Tedros said, he gave an unusual roll to his eye. Agatha delicately said, the air around them seeing tight as if it were sucking away at them, as if it could snap any moment.

"They believe we're a typical married couple…Which we're not," Agatha replied, her eyes glued to the walls. She just couldn't bring herself to look at her... husband. The word husband made her want to droop down like a wilted flower, yet they had a light butterfly-fluttery feeling added to them. She remembered meeting Tedros, looking like the peasant she was, glaring and mocking him. A month later, here she was, in an expensive dress and sharing a room with him. She remembered her words that day, and they suddenly felt sharper:

"I could never love someone like you,"

She had pronounced those words a month ago, fully believing the meaning behind them. But now, their meaning had faltered. Could she? Agatha was unsure if she could even love at all, after all, how could she fall in love? She was poked and prodded at behind her back when the villagers thought she couldn't notice them. The things they whispered behind her back... That she would always be a witch. That she would never change. That she didn't know how to love. Soon enough, even Agatha heard a ring of truth in those heart-cutting words.

Agatha did change though. Her lessons changed her... A lot. Now she no longer found herself slouching, even though she didn't notice how painful it used to be for her to sit straight-backed for an entire day. She was also more graceful, and instead of her shoes coming down onto the floor with a bang, they were just light padded steps. She never noticed how much she was no longer herself, even if she still felt like she was the same girl that came from Gavaldon who's best friend had the best chance of being a princess.

But why was she asking herself this? Agatha shook her head. Maybe she could be friends with Tedros. Maybe that's what it was. They had been through a lot together, after all. Tedros gave her look, thinking she was shaking her head at the

Saying the atmosphere was awkward would be the century's understatement. Neither looked at the other, neither said a word. Normally, Agatha would be at her room, Arietta or Nerida helping her to get to her nightgown.

Arietta and Nerida... How she missed them so much at this moment. Agatha closed her eyes, imagining a normal day in the previous month of what it would be like to just talk with Arietta and Nerida. Their chattering always made her feel better. Even if the day was really stressful, it was better than... this. Agatha squeezed her eyes shut tighter. They would bring her her nightgown. They would help her dress into every complicated dress that she now owned.

Agatha then remembered something: Had they brought her stuff here? She hoped they had.

She quickly went to the closet and opened it's doors. Dresses laid there, and she also noticed her bag from Gavaldon was still there, it was good to know she had a reminder of her origin. She also noticed this closet only had her clothes in it, considering that the room was so big that it could fit another closet for Tedros. Agatha sighed in relief. It was good that she owned one unshared thing in this married life.

Seeing as she didn't need to be in this dress anymore, she looked for a nightgown. She didn't want to admit it, but she was getting used to Arietta and Nerida helping her dress and undress. Agatha had trouble understanding how they tied her dresses; she had no idea how to get out of one of them.

She finally found a nightgown; plain white with long sleeves, made out of soft and light fabric. Realization struck her: No maid would be helping her tonight. Oh, and also, there was no way she was changing in front of Tedros. Just the thought made her blush.

"Uh, well….I'm going to ahead and…change," Agatha managed klutzily, Tedros nodded in understanding.

For some reason, Agatha found herself blushing. "Stop blushing. It's not embarrasing!" Her head was pounding as she rushed to a pair of painted-green steel doors.

Agatha went into the other set of doors, and of course they didn't make a sound when she opened them. Fortunately, she found it was indeed a bathroom. With light blue tiles layed out on the floor, white tiled walls, a hot pool with diamonds as hot and cold water dispenser, a shower that seemed to take up half of a wall, a sink so big it could be a tiny desk, and another door that probably led to fancy toilets and more sinks, this of course was the most grand bathroom she ever saw. She decided to get out of this dress, and more specifically, the cursed corset. Agatha's hand traveled to her back. She felt the laces, but she couldn't feel the knot where they had been tied. Crap... These stupid laces.

She tried running her hands through it, and she finally found it. Agatha then struggled to untie it. After 5 minutes, she managed to untie one, but there were many other uncomplicated ones to untie as well. She pulled and pulled, she tried to cross them, to lose them up, but it only seemed they were more entangled than before. 10 minutes and she still couldn't get it. She sat in the floor in defeat. The only one was she could get out of this dress was to…ask Tedros for help.

Agatha's face was so red that it could have glowed in the dark.

"No, no, no, no, no, and NO. There is no way Tedros will help me to untie my dress," Agatha thought, she couldn't imagine how problematic, tricky, and downright embarrassing that situation would be.

Agatha just wanted to cry at the moment.

After one minute of misery sprawled out on the clean floors of the bathroom, Agatha came to a very, very difficult descion. After all, it was either what will seem like eternal shame (though it'll probably last for 10 minutes, but really awkward none the less), or... being stuck in the wedding dress prison forever.

Agatha tried to untie her laces one last time, hoping for a miracle... that never came.

"Fine," Agatha thought sullenly, "Fine life. Have your evil ways."

She peaked her head through the doors. She immediately regretted it. Her first sight was Tedros' bare back to her. Her face got even redder... Was that even possible?

"Uh, Tedros,," Agatha managed to squeak, he turned his face to hers, his cheeks also colored at that moment.

"Yes?" He asked, clear embarrassment in his voice.

"I can't untie the laces of my dress," Agatha said in a very quiet tone, Tedros raised his eyebrows at her.

"What did you say?" He inquired, Agatha wanted to crawl under the earth.

"I said," Agatha started, a little louder this time, yet wanting to go hide at the same time, "I can't untie the laces of my dress…I need you to help me…" Tedros's cheeks went a whole shade darker when she said that.

"Oh…alright," He went to where Agatha was standing, Agatha tried to ignore the fact that he was shirtless, which was kind of hard at the moment.

'Can this moment get any more uncomfortable?' Agatha thought, her cheeks burning.

"Can you turn around?" Tedros asked, Agatha did.

"No looking," Agatha wanted to say, but she couldn't manage to get the words out.

They stood there in silence, Tedros looked at the messy laces, until he finally started unlacing them. Agatha flinched when his fingers made contact with her back, it was as if it was a reflex of hers. He went on until he reached the last one, by this point, the dress was completely loosened up. Agatha felt she could breathe better now. They really tightened them too much.

"Thank you," Agatha said, blatantly embarrassed.

"No problem," Tedros said, abashed as well.

Agatha was then closed the door behind her, then she removed the dress. Ah, that felt good. She was free! Finally free! And now that the Tedros situation was over, it wasn't all too bad...

Until she remembered she still had the corset.

"Dammit," She cursed under her breath. The corset was also tied in impossible laces, but it was worse, because beneath it, she didn't have anything. Just bare skin.

"Tedros," She called out from the bathroom.

Agatha could imagine the annoyed expression... And the shirtlessness. Oh no. Not the shirtlessness. Not that.

"Yes?" He said, from the other side of the door.

"I need help with the corset," Agatha asked, this had to be the most humiliating thing ever. She was standing in the middle of the bathroom, with just a corset and a white skirt that reached her knees…life was being so humiliating at this moment. Why did life hated her so much?

"…Coming," Tedros then replied, he came in through the doors, and blushed at the sight of Agatha. She then turned around and he started undoing the laces, Agatha held the corset against her, she really didn't want it falling out of her reach, not in this instant.

"Done," Tedros said quietly.

"Thank you," Agatha said, matching his hushed tone. He left and Agatha was finally able to change. By herself. It felt odd, she hadn't done this on her own in a month. She couldn't believe she needed Tedros to untie her laces, she would never get over this fact.

"Welcome to failures since the wedding. Page number one complete," Agatha thought, humiliated and miserable at the same time.

She finally came out, with her nightgown on and her dress in her hands. Tedros stood on the balcony, looking out of the windows. Agatha simply placed her dress on top of the desk, utterly confused as to what do with it. Tedros turned around to face her, he was now wearing a long sleeved shirt with white pants, both the same fabric as Agatha's nightgown.

Agatha looked up to the stars. They twinkled down on her, stretched throughout the whole sky. The night sky was beautiful, as if all the cool colors were spilled together, bursting with deep value and richness to create a magnificent painting. The stars shimmered and shined through the darkness. Agatha watched where a tiny bit of light blue turned into a dark violet, and then to pitch black. The stars were a reassuring sight.

They remained quiet for a couple of minutes, surprisingly, Agatha broke the silence.

"Uh… thanks for helping with the…lace thing," She spoke, spinning her ring in her finger. She still couldn't believe she was wearing a ring because she was married, though it was kind of distracting to play with it. Actually, she could do this all day. Feeling the cold, relaxing metal on her skin. Very useful, especially after embarrassing moments.

"Oh…no problem," Tedros replied, looking away from her. It was strange to see him uncomfortable. He always had so much composure, and he always seemed to know what to do. But now he didn't, he was just an awkward teenage boy at that moment. It soothed Agatha, she guessed it was because she wasn't the only awkward one, and it made him look less perfect.

"Agatha?" Tedros asked, still looking away.

"Hm?"

"Did you…enjoy the reception?" He inquired, the question took Agatha by surprise. In a way, she did. She ate, she talked to Sophie, it was pretty good in general.

"I would say I did," She replied, "But why didn't anybody tell me about the toppling of the pastries?"

"Nobody told me either," Tedros admitted, "I think they wanted to surprise us…and they did,"

"They did," Agatha said, it seemed they wanted to make their wedding as …special as they could.

Wedding somehow still sounded foreign to Agatha, even after it was done with, even after people said it a hundred times. She felt trapped in the old Agatha, yet refreshing in her new self.

Agatha then walked over to the bed, leaving Tedros with the stars, and laid down. She had had such a long day, so full of anxiety and nerves; she now could finally rest. She shut her eyes for a couple of seconds, trying to process this whole day; this morning, she had been just a girl in castle, now, she was married to a prince, which made her a princess. It all seemed like a blur, this day, and this past month. Everything.

Agatha then felt Tedros lie down next to her, her lids fluttered open. She turned her head to see him, he was staring right back at her, but he wasn't too close to her.

'Good.' Agatha thought, 'I don't want him cuddling me, and neither does he,'

The thought didn't make her spew acid though. It made her blush.

"How long did it take you to get ready?" Agatha inquired, though she didn't know why. She didn't really talk much, especially with Tedros. Maybe she was trying to make conversation. A temporary relief from all that already happened.

"About two hours. Did they start early with you?" He then asked her.

"They started as soon as I woke up," Agatha replied, a little bit of irritation dripping from her voice.

"They do take an awful lot of time with the bride, at least from what I heard," Tedros then verbalized, Agatha nodded in reply.

"It is too much, at least for my liking," Agatha expressed, looking at the red ceiling.

"It's usually like that for many events; balls, coronations, weddings, anything really," Tedros commented, Agatha let out a yawn in that moment. She hadn't realized how tired she was, she was practically falling asleep.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep," Agatha told Tedros, she pulled the covers and got as far from Tedros as she could.

"Alright, I guess I'll do the same," Tedros replied, he stood up and blew the candles they had lit.

"Goodnight" He said.

Silence.

"…Goodnight," Agatha finally replied.

She felt herself quickly slipping away from reality, from all the happened, and everything that the world was now haunting with. She fell into a pit, tumbling, her dress catching in the wind... And into Sleep's arms.

Tedros thought he would fall asleep quickly, and he did. But now, he had woken up in the middle of the night, and for one of the few times in his life, he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned endlessly, thoughts running wildly in his mind. He tried not to wake up Agatha, but she seemed to be in a deep sleep. He had never seen her so…calm.

It was extremely strange, his whole life he knew he was going to get married, probably because it was right, and good to have another ruler, rather than for love. But actually living it... it had to be the oddest thing it had happened to him. He just laid there for a while, staring at the ceiling, he was starting to give up any hopes of sleep. He assumed it was about 2 or 3 in the morning, judging by how dark it was outside.

"Oh great," Tedros thought sarcastically. "One night of endless tossing and turning. This'll be fun."

Next to him, Agatha seemed to stir, she then rolled over to her side. Tedros thought this was a bad idea, but he did it anyway.

Tedros knew he probably wouldn't go to sleep anytime soon, and quietly slipped out of bed. He walked back outside, seeing the stars for just one moment. It was real. It was all too real.

When he got inside, he got a drink and even though he didn't know it was a good idea, he asked anyways.

"Agatha, are you awake?" He whispered, Agatha stirred again.

"Yeah" She said. Surprisingly, she wasn't as sleepy as she looked like, and her tone didn't even sound drowsy.

"How long have you been awake?" Tedros inquired.

"I don't really know, about half hour? I know you have been awake for a while," Agatha replied, she then sat up swept a hand through a mess of hair.

"I have, I don't know why, but I can't seem to fall asleep," Tedros admitted, Agatha nodded at that.

"Me neither." She said, "I am exhausted, but I can't stop thinking,"

"Thinking about what?" Tedros asked, with a little edge of curiosity.

Agatha looked outside almost wistfully. Tedros wordlessly got into their bed again, laying his head back behind both of his hands, leaning against the bed post. It felt so weird, being so close to Agatha under a layer of sheets... Yet, he felt comforted, that somebody else was there with him.

"About everything; mostly royal stuff, you know, being a princess, being married, pushy royal members." Agatha paused for a second, "When is the coronation taking place?" Agatha questioned.

"My father said we were going to talk about it tomorrow, seeing as today was stressful enough. That was for tomorrow, well, it's today already," Tedros answered.

"Probably Arietta and Nerida would tell me. I don't understand, couldn't your father just be king until he dies?" Agatha inquired, Tedros rubbed his neck. This was a touchy subject.

"Well, he could, but…people are not happy with him," Tedros confessed, and he saw Agatha with a shock expression on her face.

He never shared that with anybody before. Never. What made him change his mind now? Tedros was just as shocked as Agatha.

"Really?" She questioned.

"Yeah…lot of instability among people, some taxes are too high. I have told him, but he won't listen," Tedros said, he loved his father, but he was such a stubborn man. And this wasn't even the complete truth…He didn't really want to tell Agatha about his father's alcohol problem and how it had been affecting him lately.

Tedros closed his eyes. He remembered seeing his father sprawled on the ground, a bottle of wine next to him. He was a regal but not very clear-sighted king in the day... But at night, he was Tedros's worst nightmares.

That's why it felt so nice having Agatha next to him. Unlike any other parents, Tedros never had his mother tuck him into bed, since she was gone, and never had his father give him a hug before he went to sleep, because he was downstairs somewhere, wasting himself. Sometimes he would be so wrapped up in his sorrow, he would have the worst nightmares ever... Tedros never knew what exactly they were after he woke up, but he still remembered the trepidation he felt, the dread, the worry, the fear. Now that Agatha was here, he didn't feel so alone anymore...

"Oh…why did you needed to be married before the coronation? A lot of kings reign by themselves," Agatha asked another question, Tedros had never heard her speak so much, yet this was another touchy subject.

"Well, that's complicated…" Tedros began, Agatha raised her eyebrows, he then continued, "My parent's marriage ended up badly. As you probably noticed, my mother isn't around…" Tedros said, he still hated about the subject of his mother, he still held that feeling of resentment towards her.

"My father wanted to avoid a loveless marriage to happen, but after a few tries, he gave up. I couldn't immediately fall in love with someone, besides, all the princess and other royal members we saw were the same; looking for someone rich and good-looking, and that didn't work for me. Basically, my father assumed that if he married me off prior to being king, it would be better," He stared at the distance. He didn't really know Agatha, yet here he was, summarizing his life to her.

'Well, she is your wife now, after all," He thought, he brushed off that thought quickly.

"Do you think it was a good idea? I mean, you marrying me?" Agatha asked, looking at him this time.

Was it? Tristan's words still haunted his mind. Agatha didn't care about his looks or fortune, she was honest, she was modest. He guessed it could have been worse.

"She is kind of pretty as well," He thought, then he realized what he just thought. He had said Agatha was pretty. He suddenly looked mortified, Agatha then suddenly looked slightly…dejected?

"Guess it wasn't," She mumbled, before turning away on their bed, no longer facing him.

"You know what? I think it was a good idea," He said, feeling the strange urge to avoid making her feel bad, "I think it can work, in the long run,"

Agatha looked at him, surprise filling her big brown eyes. She looked away quickly.

"I hope it does," She said wistfully, still looking away.

"Me too," Tedros said in the same tone.

"I never thought I would get married, but I am now married. And I'm a princess. It feels weird to say that," Agatha confessed.

"Why didn't you think you would get married?" Tedros asked, slightly confused at that. Agatha shifted in her place.

"Back in Gavaldon, nobody liked me. Everybody thought my mom and I were witches…that says a lot already. The exceptions being Sophie and her father," Agatha said, her eyes seeming to be filling with tears.

There seemed to be something radiating from Agatha. "All I ever wanted to be was beautiful..." A quiet voice whispered into the air, and somehow, Tedros knew it was Agatha, whether it was her voice or mind speaking.

"What do you think they would say if they saw you now?' Tedros inquired. Agatha wiped the tears from her eyes.

"They would be speechless," Agatha replied, now looking at Tedros.

"I'm sorry I was kind of a jerk to you," He apologized, feeling a sudden twinge of guilt.

"…I'm sorry I was so hard to deal with at first…I just kinda hated everything and everybody. Especially you," Agatha admitted, Tedros grinned at her.

"Wow, I bet so many people say that to their spouses on their first day of marriage," Tedros said, somewhat sarcastically, a small smile played on Agatha's lips.

"Put yourself on my place and we'll talk," She replied, she then yawned. Tedros himself felt sleepy again.

"I think I'll go and try to fall asleep," Tedros said, rolling over to his side. Agatha did the same.

"You know... Maybe we could be friends..." Agatha said softly. Tedros thought her tone had a melodic tone to it at that moment, like an angel's harp. Tedros smiled.

"We could be."

That was the last thing they said before they fell asleep.

At first, Agatha had hated pretty much everything about Camelot. The place, how big it was, this castle, Tedros, the list goes on and on. The few exceptions being Nerida and Arietta (how could you hate those beings?) and the pillows they had. They were soft and fluffy, Agatha could never complain about them. So today when she felt she was cuddling something warm and soft, she assumed it had to be one of the pillows they had for them. She snuggled closer to it, and out of nowhere, she opened her lids slowly.

She wasn't cuddling a pillow.

She was cuddling with Tedros. He had his arms around her waist, and she was lying on top of his chest. Her eyes widened in shock.

The first thought that came to her mind was that they looked like those 'romatic and cute' couples in all of the romantic novels Sophie read and babbled about to Agatha.

Her second thought was: Crap.

She immediately tried to get up, but Tedros, not realizing it was her, pulled her closer.

"GET OFF ME," Agatha considered yelling, but that would probably end badly. Instead she tried to pull away one of her arms...

Mission Accomplished. Now what to do about everything else?...

When Agatha tried to move another limb, her worst fear came true... Tedros woke up.

Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no.

"You were cuddling me?" Tedros asked, shock and a little anger to his voice.

There goes the, "Maybe we can be friends," down the drain and down the well.

"Me? Me? Excuse me? You pulled me closer!" Agatha exclaimed loudly, leaving out the part about the snuggling. Tedros stammered at that.

"I-I thought you were a pillow!" He exclaimed, Agatha rolled her eyes.

"A pillow. Of course," Agatha said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe, if you were actually paying attention to all your lessons... Pillows. Don't. Move."

"That's why I felt something snuggling closer…" Tedros mumbled.

"I did not snuggle! And that should have been your hint, you should have realized pillows don't move!" Agatha exclaimed in outrage.

"I was asleep!" Tedros tried to defend himself.

"So was I!" Agatha cried, "Besides, how did we even get that close?!" She could feel the heat rising to her face.

"...It wasn't me," Tedros defended himself in a silly manner.

"How would you know? You said you were sleeping!"

"Well you were too!"

At this point their faces were red with anger and frustration and merely a few inches apart.

Agatha realized what this meant. In Sophie's romance novels, the couple would kiss. Well... That wouldn't happen to them. Not at all.

Tedros seemed to notice this too. They both recoiled from each other, sending each other 'looks'.

"Agatha?" Somebody called from the other side of the doors. Agatha was relieved to know it was Nerida.

"Agatha?" Nerida called again. Agatha sighed with relief, going out to the hallway to see her and leaving a stunned and cooling-down Tedros behind.

"Nerida, I was wondering if you would come, where's Arietta?" Agatha asked.

"Oh, she's doing something related with clothes. Anyway, I came to inform you what you're doing today," Nerida paused for a second, Agatha frowned, "In about half hour you two will go and take breakfast, then you'll have to go meet the king to talk about the coronation and other royal subjects. You'll get a couple of hours to do whatever you please, then, at 12 you'll see Sader, he's going to teach you History. And no Etiquette today," Nerida finished, Agatha still frowned.

"Royal subjects? That doesn't sound too good," Agatha complained, anything involving the word 'royal' meant trouble.

"Well, I heard is mostly about how to be the King and Queen, and all that stuff. Oh, and you'll probably heard about having an heir…I know you hate that topic, I'm sorry," Nerida explained.

"Of course," She said flatly.

"So, how did last night go?" Nerida asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Well…because neither you nor Arietta were here, untying my dress's laces was a pain in the butt," Agatha said.

"Then, how did you untie them?" Nerida asked, Agatha sighed in exasperation.

"Tedros needed to untie my laces…Really, really embarrassing," Agatha explained.

"Oh, wow," Nerida bursted out laughing, Agatha rolled her eyes. She knew she was going to get that reaction.

"Are you going to help me get dressed or not? I mean, I really suck at tying laces," Agatha explained, which was true.

"Yeah, might as well do my job," Nerida smiled, she then opened the doors for Agatha.

"You'll do it in the bathroom, right? I mean…you know why I ask, right?" Agatha inquired, Nerida nodded.

"Yes, don't worry, I know you don't like changing in front of other people," Nerida reassured. Agatha nodded and forced a smile onto her face.

Nerida went quickly through the closet in the room, Agatha just stood there waiting. Tedros was gazing out of the windows. She wondered if he was still fuming about the whole cuddling thing. It had been an awful lot of time since Agatha had made a retort towards him, she guessed that was progress.

Tedros then turned and approached Agatha, she raised her eyebrows as if to question him.

"So, what's the plan for you?" Tedros asked, surprisingly casual

"Nerida will help me dress, then she says we'll have breakfast," Agatha replied, seemed as if he had forgotten the argument.

"I see…can you believe we were arguing over cuddling?" Tedros asked, Agatha cracked a smile.

"I can, you do tend to make a big fuss out of small things, and we keep adding wood to the fire," Agatha said earnestly.

"I do not make a big fuss out of small things," Tedros said defensively, Agatha raised her eyebrows at him.

"Alright, point received," Tedros mumbled

"Don't you have servants? I would think they would be here already," Agatha uttered

"Yeah, they just don't help me get dressed, that's mostly for women. And it's because laces require two people, like we realized last night," Tedros said, Agatha blushed.

"These past 12 hours have been very embarrassing…" Agatha admitted, Tedros smiled.

"You were cuddling me, so I guess that's pretty embarrassing for you, at least in your mind," Tedros observed, Agatha sent a glare at him.

"Do not. Talk. About. It... And besides. You pulled me closer. That's worse, you know?" Agatha replied coolly, Tedros glared back at her.

"Agatha, are you coming or not?" Nerida asked, dress in hands. Agatha silently thanked God for her presence.

"Yes, coming," Agatha replied, they both walked into the bathroom. Nerida locked the door, she then proceeded to remove Agatha's nightgown, and then, the usual corset came on. Finally, she put on the dress. Today she picked a green emerald dress with golden embroidery on the sleeves.

"Did I hear something about cuddling?" Nerida asked, Agatha blushed.

"It was accident! I don't know how it happened, I swear! I woke up and when I realized I yelped and we just got into a stupid fight and…yeah," Agatha explained, Nerida laughed.

"Not bad for a first night," Nerida commented, while fixing her skirt. Agatha remained quiet.

Both went out of the bathroom, they found Tedros had already dressed himself and was fixing his hair. He was wearing a dark blue, long sleeved shirt, with black breeches and the usual boots. He quickly glanced in their direction, then looked away.

"Well, I think I'm done here", Nerida said, "You could head out for breakfast, if you want to. I'm going to leave," Nerida then bowed and left the room.

Agatha and Tedros stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Want to head out?" Tedros asked, Agatha shrugged.

"Sure," She replied simply.

They walked through the doors and left the room.

Their first day as a married couple had just began. If getting through the night was hard enough...

It was going to be a long day.


	15. Mixed feelings about everything

**Hello guys! I know it's been a while since I updated, and I am so sorry! SwanDestiny wasn't able to edit this chapter, so this is 100% written by me. I hope you enjoy it, again, deeply sorry for the wait.**

 **Also, two reviews away from 100, you guys are amazing! All the people that review this chapter will get a special mention in the following chapter.**

* * *

Agatha had considered the fact that her usual routine would change once she got married; but she had never thought that Arietta and Nerida would stop escorting her to places, at least with less frequency.

Tedros had told her they would have their meals at the Great Hall, but Agatha didn't even know where that was. She had been at the castle for a month, but she still didn't know where to go without taking a wrong turn at least once. Agatha decided she would just follow Tedros without asking any questions, in the end, it was her best option. Well, her only option.

The Great Hall was located in the first floor, it was located at the end of one of the corners. And even though the doors that led them to said room were big, they were really simple; plain wooden doors with golden handles. Tedros opened the door, Agatha went through it; she mumbled a barely audible 'thank you'.

The Great Hall had to be one of the smallest places Agatha had seen in the castle, and it was still big. The floors were carpeted, a nice black and white pattern to it. The walls had red and gold tapestry, the high ceilings seemed to be made of wood, and they held an intricate work to them. And finally, there were two long, rectangular tables; they were made of mahogany, and some glasses laid on top of them. Agatha examined the room, looking through the ceilings and the walls. Over the last month, she had gotten used to having breakfast in her room, with Arietta usually chattering over some random issue, while Nerida did her hair, or some other chore.

Agatha decided to take a seat at the end of the table, Tedros sat at the opposite end. An awkward silence filled the room.

She had never been one to start a conversation, mainly because she was usually alone. At situations like this, it was really uncomfortable.

"Do we eat alone or does someone else joins us?' Agatha asked, breaking the awkward silence. Tedros looked in her direction.

"I'm not really sure," he began, "I usually ate with my father, but I'm not really sure if he'll come" Tedros then gave a shrug.

Agatha didn't know what was worse; just the two of them in an awkward silence, or having Arthur talking about what they need to do as a married couple.

' _At least without him there's no talking about royal matters'_ Agatha thought darkly.

Shortly afterwards, a few servants came with their breakfast. They had trays full with anything you could possibly imagine; bread, fruit, ham and many other things.

Agatha hadn't very been hungry, until she saw all that food. This was one of the perks of being considered royalty; getting the finest food there was in the kingdom. This and their pillows, in Agatha's opinion, were the best things the castle had.

They ate in silence, maybe an occasional comment, but other than that, there wasn't much conversation. Agatha expected it to be this uncomfortable, so there wasn't a surprise a there.

The kitchen's servants came again and picked up their plates, they all seemed to move quickly and nimbly. All of them seemed to be in a hurry. Agatha also noticed there were two girls and one boy; the three looked young, like all the servants Agatha had seemed so far.

Shortly after that, Agatha and Tedros got up and left the Great Hall. According to Nerida, Agatha had about four or three hours to spare. They came to a halt after they exited the Great Hall's doors.

"So, what are you going to do?" Tedros asked Agatha, she shrugged.

"I don't know, I'll probably get lost and then find something interesting to do. What are you doing?" She replied, she didn't think Tedros took any lessons anymore, most people were done with education at about 15 or so.

"I think I'll go and do swordplay, usually Tristan or Chaddick are up for it" Tedros replied, Agatha nodded, playing with her hands, then her ring. This was becoming a habit, and it hadn't even been one day since she had gotten it

"Shouldn't Tristan and Chaddick be working as guards?" Agatha asked, Tedros rubbed his neck

"Well…technically they should, but there's like a hundred guards, what's two less?" Tedros replied, Agatha grinned at that.

"I guess" She said, still grinning.

"Do you know where you're going?' Tedros asked

"I'll just look for Arietta, do you know where tailors work?" Agatha asked, Tedros nodded.

"Second floor, I think is this wing. Pretty sure is the first room to the right" Tedros replied

"Thanks" Agatha then started walking, in the opposite direction of Tedros.

He then called after her, she turned her head.

"I'll see you later" Tedros said, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Yeah…I'll see you around" Agatha said, her heart fluttered a little bit, but she decided to ignore it.

* * *

Tedros directions had been accurate enough; Agatha actually got to the tailor's workshop without getting lost. A little bit of satisfaction rose in her chest.

When she opened the doors to reveal the workshops, all the tailors just stopped what they were doing, struck by confusion. What was their princess doing here? Some just stared at her with no shame. Agatha wondered if a princess had ever crossed this door so casually.

' _Probably not"_ Agatha thought in reply to her own question

"Milady…w-what are you doing here?" One of them asked. He was young, he looked around Nerida's age; he had messy dirty blonde hair, with big brown eyes and a long nose. He was wearing a navy blue vest with a white long-sleeved shirt and black pants.

"Oh, I was just looking for Arietta" Agatha replied, feeling scrutinized by the staring tailors.

Arietta stood up from her workplace and went bouncing up to Agatha, obviously happy to see her. She then turned to the messy haired boy.

"Sheesh David, can't she just be here for no particular reason?' Arietta asked, she had her hair in a braid, and she was wearing her uniform; navy blue skirt with a white, long-sleeved shirt. The said David just shrugged.

"Princesses usually don't come in here" He mumbled, Arietta rolled her eyes.

"Agatha, this is David; he's also a tailor, and my older brother" Arietta informed, Agatha nodded. She could barely see any resemblance, they even had a different facial expression: Arietta was all bouncy and happy, meanwhile, David seemed a little annoyed by Arietta.

"But anyways, enough about that, how are _you_ doing?' Arietta asked, shooing David away. He mumbled something as he went.

"I'm alright," Agatha began, "Nerida told me I had a few hours to spare, so I came here" Agatha replied, Arietta stood in that moment. A glint of excitement in her face.

"Well, that's good. Now that you mention her, did she tell you the big news?" Arietta asked excitedly, letting her hair down. Agatha shook her head.

"What big news?" Agatha asked. What had Nerida done? It had to be pretty important, judging from Arietta's tone and expression.

"Oh! That klutz! I'll get you to her, she's cleaning your old room. I would tell you, but she wants to tell you personally" Arietta took Agatha's hand and led her out of the workshops, Agatha hurried after her.

They went up to the third floor, in the same hurried pace. Agatha was so curious, she wanted to know what Nerida wanted to tell her. Arietta seemed pretty happy, so Agatha assumed it was a good thing. She tried to guess what was it, but she failed, and Agatha was wondering what was up with Nerida.

When they finally reached Agatha's old room, they stopped to recover their breath. Then, Arietta opened the doors. Nerida was dusting the curtains, she turned to see the two of them when she heard the doors.

"Arietta? Agatha? What are you two doing here?" She inquired, fixing her hair and her skirt.

"You need to tell Agatha!" Arietta exclaimed while approaching, Nerida let out an 'oh!'

"Oh, oh, yes" Nerida said nervously, Agatha had never seen her this nervous. Was it really a good thing?

"Well," Nerida took a deep breath, "I'm engaged"

Agatha's jaw dropped. Arietta let out a loud squeal.

"Really?" Agatha asked, not knowing what to say, "To whom?"

Arietta replied for Nerida;

"To my older brother! You know, the one you just met. We're going to be sisters-in-law!" Arietta squealed excitedly, she then hugged Nerida tightly.

"Well, yes." Nerida blushed delicately, "His name is David, and he is Arietta's older brother. He works as a tailor also..."

"Agatha just met him actually, that's how I remembered" Arietta pointed out.

"Nerida that's great" Agatha said lamely, she wasn't used to congratulating people, especially for weddings. She tried, but it was strange to congratulate people on their nuptials. Seeing as hers had been rather bittersweet…

"She's always liked him. Always" Arietta commented, Nerida blushed and covered her face.

"Arietta, you're embarrassing me" Nerida mumbled, her face a bright shade of red.

"When did this happened?" Agatha asked, still thunderstruck, but happy for Nerida. Both of them seemed happy.

"Last night" Nerida replied, "We were cleaning up your reception, and he was there. He just called me to a solitary corner, and he said he has always liked me…and he did it. It was too much" Nerida said, she covered her face with her hand again. Agatha noticed she now wore a silver band around her ring finger.

"Why didn't you tell me this morning?" Agatha asked Nerida

"Oh, I didn't want to 'steal your show', besides, you needed to vent about last night" Nerida replied, a little pink blush still on her cheeks.

"Oh yeah! How was your wedding night?" Arietta asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. Nerida started laughing.

"Oh Lord" Agatha sighed. She told Arietta; the late night talk, the laces thing, even the cuddling part.

Arietta was laughing so hard she was wheezing.

"I-I…can't" She gasped, "Oh God..." She the laughed even more. She supported herself with the bedposts.

"Yeah, pretty interesting wedding night" Agatha rolled her eyes. She expected this from Arietta, the maid was obviously enjoying it.

"Yeah but, Tedros already undid your laces, that was fast" Arietta laughed again, she was practically rolling on the floor laughing. Agatha blushed.

"It had been different if you two had been there" Agatha retorted

"Why should we? This way you two get more…Intimate" Arietta giggled at her own statement. Even Nerida laughed at that. Agatha glared at both maids.

"Okay but, are you going to deny Tedros is good looking? I know a sound like any other girl, but he is. And the two times he has talked to me, he's been pretty nice. Don't you think you could work together?!" Arietta reasoned. Agatha pondered at that.

"Well…" Agatha said, the maids inched closer, "He's nice when he's not a jerk" Agatha admitted. Tedros had his moments of…niceness.

"Yes! Agatha, I'm not saying to go and fall in love in the next two days, but give him a chance! I swear, when you two danced yesterday, you looked so adorable!" Arietta gushed. Agatha raised her eyebrows at Arietta.

"Adorable? Really?" Agatha asked incredulously, both maids nodded.

"I swear, I'm rooting for you two. I know you get iffy about this, but you look so cute together!" Arietta gushed animatedly, clasping her handa

"Yeah, you guys do." Nerida confessed, Arietta sighed dreamily.

"I think he likes you more than you think." Arietta observed, Agatha shot her a look.

"What do you mean by 'likes'" Agatha asked, suddenly confused. Arietta face palmed, Nerida sighed.

" _Likes_. I feel like I'm talking to a 12 year old' Nerida said exasperated, Agatha fumbled with words, sort of embarrassed by the remark.

"Yeah right" Agatha retorted, trying to hide her mortification, Tedros didn't like her. That was bull. It had to be.

"Look, nobody is going to put their arm someone, feel them move, and think they are a pillow" Arietta reasoned, Nerida nodded in agreement.

"B-but…" Agatha blushed. Tedros. Tedros _liking_ her. It was not possible to create that sentence.

"But, but, but nothing! He likes you, and you like him back" Arietta inferred, Agatha blushed harder.

"I do not!" She exclaimed in a childlike manner.

"You're blushing" Nerida observed, Agatha rubbed her temples. She didn't like Tedros that much. He was just…well, her husband.

"There's nothing wrong with liking him" Nerida said, rubbing Agatha's shoulders, "You can admit it" Agatha glared at her.

"I don't like Tedros" Agatha stated, her expression was neutral. Arietta rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Have it your way. But when you have little children running around and you'll love them and say how much you love Tedros, I want you to remember this day" Arietta retorted, Agatha blushed at that comment. Kids? She hated that topic, it was so awkward and weird.

"Did you really need to pull that card? Really?" Agatha asked, obviously mortified.

"Well, yes. Besides, I can always tell when someone likes someone. _Always_. I noticed Nerida had a crush on my brother before anybody else did." Arietta pointed out

"Did you needed to use that example?" Nerida blushed, Agatha smiled at her, forgetting her own humiliation.

"Yes! I am so happy for both of you! Especially since you've liked him since you were like 16" Arietta pointed out, Nerida sighed.

"How long have you two known each other?" Agatha inquired

"Since forever, really." Arietta began, "Our families know each other, so Nerida's family of six children was always encouraged to hang out with my family of six, and it was perfect! And since they have five boys and we have five girls, you can get certain marriages arranged. My younger sister actually married one of Nerida's brothers last year. And now Nerida will marry David, which is really sweet" Arietta explained, Agatha nodded in understatement. That explained why the two were so close.

"And I'm pretty sure Arietta will marry one of my brothers, I have a suspicion who it might be" Nerida winked at Arietta, the latter rolled her eyes.

"Do you really think they'll pair me off with that snob of Xalvador?" Arietta said, obvious disgust in her voice.

"Hey, my parents always want to please him, don't ask why. And he has shown interest in you. Multiple times." Nerida informed, Arietta groaned.

"Who's Xalvador?" Agatha asked, Arietta rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, some stuck up brother of Nerida. He always seems to be bragging about something" Arietta said

"He likes Arietta. A lot." Nerida whispered to Agatha, Agatha snickered.

"It's not funny!" Arietta exclaimed angrily

"Maybe you should give him a chance" Agatha mocked, Arietta glared at her.

"Maybe you should take your own advice" Nerida chided, Arietta also rolled her eyes at her.

"Oh, I also have another question" Agatha informed

"Yes?" Nerida asked

"Is it a tradition to give out engagement rings?" Agatha inquired, "Because I see you got one, but I never did"

"Well, sometimes. It depends on the situation" Nerida explained

"Why? Did you wish you could've had one?" Arietta questioned, Agatha shook her head.

"No, but I always see women wearing them, yet I never got one" She shrugged indifferently. She had wondered this on previous occasions, but she thought Tedros proposing would be kind of awkward, so she always brushed off the thought.

"I bet you could've gotten a pretty ring. Maybe with a giant diamond" Arietta thought wistfully

"Maybe Tedros can her one like that for their anniversary one day" Nerida joked, Arietta cracked a smile at her.

"Yeah, yeah." Agatha brushed them off

"Hey, I bet you'll get plenty of pretty rings; next month you'll get a crown." Nerida declared, Agatha paled.

The coronation was coming up.

"Oh…right" Agatha paled even more, in a month she would be a ruler. She couldn't see that happening.

"I think you're getting your own crown, since Guinevere took hers when she left" Nerida surmised, she shrugged.

"Can we avoid the topics of coronation, Tedros, and anything related to my…marriage" Agatha said with difficulty. Arietta giggled.

"Oh Agatha, one day, you'll be a great queen, and Tedros will be a king, and you two will be happily in love. That day, you're going to realize how right we were." Arietta assured, Agatha just remain sitting there.

She tried to see that; both of them being Camelot's rulers was an imminent future, so she could see that. She tried to picture them like a couple in one of Sophie's novels, where they loved each other endlessly. And somehow, Agatha could imagine that.

She erased that thought immediately.

' _I do not like him. I don't.'_ Agatha thought. But she could feel doubt creeping up to her.

She did not like that. At all. She quickly brushed that thought away.

"Wait, at what time is the meeting with Arthur?" Agatha asked

"Uh, at 11, you still have over three hours to do what you please' Nerida announced, Agatha nodded.

"Well, I'm going to leave now." Agatha declared, "Congratulations on your engagement" Agatha offered, Nerida smiled.

"We'll see you later! Oh and by the way, Sophie is the room next to this one, if you want to check on her' Arietta notified, Agatha nodded and smiled at both.

With that, Agatha left the room, she was heading to see Sophie now.

* * *

Agatha hadn't seen Sophie since last night, and knowing Sophie, she probably had a lot to tell Agatha. She was expecting Sophie to gush over some prince she just barely knew, or over several that caught her attention.

Agatha politely knocked on the mahogany doors.

"Come in!" Sophie's voice came from the other side, Agatha entered.

Sophie rushed to Agatha as soon as she saw her coming. Sophie was wearing a lilac, long sleeved-gown. The dress had golden embroidery at the skirt and at the sleeves; it also had some rhinestones at the bodice, matching the embroidery's color.

"Aggie! Nice to see you, I was wondering if you would come" Sophie said

"Yeah well, I was planning to. I have a lot of spare time today, and I also wanted to see how you were doing" Agatha replied

"I love this place so much! Because I'm a guest, the maids actually lent me some of your dresses. I've never worn anything so expensive and fine!" Sophie gushed, Agatha smiled at her.

"Anyways, your wedding was so fun! As expected, seems I got certain princes' attention. All of them were _so_ gorgeous" Sophie confided, Agatha rolled her eyes at her.

"Of course you did" Agatha said, Sophie smiled at her.

"Do you think I could away with marrying a prince?" Sophie wondered, "I mean, you just did"

"Well, that was a…peculiar situation, but maybe you could" Agatha offered,

"Hopefully" Sophie thought out loud, "So, how was the rest of your evening? After all, you were the bride" Sophie inched closer to Agatha, she sighed in exasperation.

"Let's leave it at 'very awkward and embarrassing'" Agatha confessed, Sophie pouted.

"Are you going to give out details or not?" Sophie asked eagerly. Seems today's topic was Agatha's night.

"I couldn't untie my laces, Tedros had to. For my dress and the corset" Agatha succumbed, Sophie grinned at that

"Well, seems you two had fun last night" Sophie said cheekily, Agatha blushed.

"Not really" Agatha replied dryly, Sophie laughed at her remark.

"Lighten up, are you still about the marriage itself?" Sophie asked, Agatha shifted in her place. In reality, she wasn't; yet she wasn't exultant about it.

"Well, no." Agatha replied, "But is not like I feel it's the best thing that has ever happened to me"

It seemed ungrateful to say that, but Agatha couldn't help it. Yes, now she was rich and beautiful and admired. But she was also a princess, and that has responsibilities, civil responsibilities. She is also a wife, which implies moral responsibilities.

"If I was you, I would be enjoying every single minute of it" Sophie said, "You got what I always dreamed of. Meanwhile, I'm stuck at Gavaldon" There was a certain anger and envy to Sophie's tone. It bothered Agatha.

"Well, you said it yourself, you could marry a prince. I mean, look at you, you already look like a princess" Agatha said, Sophie smiled at her.

"Some princesses actually took a liking to me last night, I didn't say I was a peasant, of course. They would probably discriminate against that fact" Sophie told happily

"That's good. I felt like I talked to about half of the guests" Agatha said, remembering all of the people that talked to her.

"Did you enjoy your reception?" Sophie asked Agatha, she nodded.

"It was more fun than I had anticipated" Agatha confessed

"Did they teach you how to dance? Because you always dreaded dancing" Sophie asked, Agatha nodded again

"Yes, it was a pain" Agatha admitted. All those lessons felt long and miserable, but at least they paid off. She heard Sophie giggle.

"I thought so. But you did pretty well, you even seemed to enjoy it" Sophie observed. Agatha remained quiet, she didn't feel like admitting she had actually enjoyed it, she still felt abashed about that fact.

"It was alright" Agatha lied, in her most convincing manner.

After that, they spent a while talking about everything they could think of: the wedding, what was life like in a palace, Sophie updated Agatha on the latest Gavaldon gossip, she also commented that Nerida had been very nice and efficient to her; Agatha agreed. Sophie also talked about other people that caught her attention at the wedding; from princesses with terrible dresses to princes that were almost perfect. Agatha laughed at that. Good to know Sophie was the same.

After about an hour, Sophie announced she was going to explore the castle herself.

"Some princesses said they wanted to meet me at the meeting room on the second floor, I think I'm going to join them. After all, it is nearly nine, and they said they would be there at nine." She announced, she also asked Agatha if she wanted to go. Agatha declined the offer; she didn't like the idea of being scrutinized by princesses and their snobby ways.

"I don't know what I'm going to do" Agatha admitted, she then shrugged, "if I get lost I'll probably find my way back" Agatha and Sophie both left the room. Both parted on opposite ways. One knowing where to go, and the other unclear.

* * *

Agatha had never seen all of the second floor, in fact, she was rarely there. So when she stumbled upon an apparent library, she was interested in it. She usually read because in Gavaldon she had nothing to do, other than chores of course. But this place was humongous, shelves that were at least 8 feet tall, wooden desks with plies of books on them. The whole library was a little dark, which gave it a creepy feeling, yet it was intriguing.

She went through shelves and halls, seeing the book's spines destroyed, other kept nicely. She went through what seemed a poetry section, then the historical section, then the romantic section, she escaped that one immediately. In the end, she settled for one that was titled _"Camelot's best Epic Poetry'_ , she felt curious at the thought of what they considered their best, so she just took it. Besides, she had always liked poetry. It seemed nobody was there, so she wouldn't bother anybody.

She sat and read there for a while. She then left, Agatha decided to go to her room; the library's gloomy and solitary had made her sleepy, so she thought she could maybe take a nap, she had to be at the meeting at about 11, and she estimated it was a quarter to ten. So with that, she left the library and headed for her chambers.

When she got there, she put her book on her nightstand, took off her shoes and almost instantly fell asleep.

The only reason Tedros went to his chambers was to change, he wasn't expecting to see a sleeping Agatha. He had entered quite noisily, so when he saw her sleeping, he hoped he wouldn't wake her up. She didn't even stir. She just slept in absolute tranquility.

He took a bath and then changed, after all, he couldn't go to a meeting with his father all sweaty from swordplay, for it was 'improper'. After he had done that, he just looked over to where Agatha was. She was laying on her side, a serene expression plastered over her face. It was strange seeing her so calm, she usually looked anxious, or annoyed, or angry. This sight was unusual, but it was relaxing. He approached her side, being cautious as to not wake her up, and out of nowhere, he caressed her face with the back of his hands. It was involuntary, Tedros didn't even knew why he did it, he just did. It was in that moment when he realized Agatha wasn't just pretty; she was _beautiful_. From her pale, alabaster skin, to her dark, short hair.

Then, her words from this morning rang in his ears;

" _I only wanted to be beautiful"_

"Oh Agatha, you already are" He whispered quietly. How could she think she wasn't beautiful? He regretted thinking she wasn't. His first impression of her hadn't been great, and neither had been hers of him. And now he was just looking at her sleeping. Appreciating her newfound beauty. He felt her stir again, he suddenly felt guilty for waking her up, but he also realized they needed to head for the dreaded meeting to discuss their marriage and other important topics.

She then opened her lids slowly, then they widened quickly at the sight of him.

"Tedros, what are you doing here?' Agatha asked sleepily, letting out a yawn. He tried to look for a good answer, but it seemed as if his brain had blanked out.

" _Think you idiot!"_ Tedros scolded himself mentally

"I had just come for a bath, and then I found you here. We need to head out for the meeting anyway." He replied, feeling it was the lamest reply ever. Agatha groaned at that.

"Already?" She complained, but she got off the bed. She stretched and groaned again. She then sat and put on her heels.

"I see you're not really excited" Tedros observed

"Not really" Agatha assured.

They both walked out of the room, a feeling of annoyance and dread washed over them. But at the same time, they both felt a strange feeling at the sight of the other. A confusing feeling neither understood; both stubbornly brushed it away, as if afraid of it.


	16. Serious talks

**SwanDestiny: Sorry I wasn't around to** **help out with editing chapters** **last time, but I don't think bandidaceiga needed any help anyways! Enjoy the chapter - and the extra edits and details!**

 **I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, and I probably did, but I have a story called Written in the Stars, a School for Good and Evil fanfiction! Also now I also have a trailer for it on youtube! If you want to check both things out, just find it all on my profile page!**

 **Bandidaciega: We are already on chapter 16** **th** **can you believe that? Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And as I promised before, I'll do a special mention for all those that reviewed my last chapter, seeing as they helped me pass the mark of a hundred reviews.**

 **Shoutout to: iceangel73, kikipanda825, taglove, ever-of-woods-beyond, Grace, Guest, evergirl2000, rainbowfalls, musicmelody1 and Z. Thanks for reviewing!**

Saying neither Tedros nor Agatha wanted to go to this meeting would a huge understatement. Every single time they needed to meet with Arthur the result was extremely uncomfortable. And seeing as they were now married, the inevitable subject of the heir would come up. Oh joy.

Agatha kept her stare firmly placed on the ground at the shining tiles beneath her, silently asking herself what the heck she did to wind up this situation. "Save me from this meeting..." Agatha muttered beneath her breath.

The meeting was to be held in the same room where the two had met; and it brought back very unpleasant memories for Agatha, which made her want to avoid it even more. Agatha remembered when Tedros and she inevitably clashed with each other, and Agatha called him a royal snob or something like that. Now that Agatha was somewhat familiar with the palace, she knew they needed to descend the third floor and go to the second floor, it wasn't really a long walk, but the hallways were pretty long, with long and twisting turns.

"Do you think it's going to be as bad as always?" Agatha asked Tedros.

"I think it's going to be even worse," Tedros admitted sheepishly, Agatha winced at that.

"Oh great," Agatha thought sarcastically. "As if my life isn't as twisted enough. First I end up as a queen, then, somehow, Tedros is somewhat not as bad as I expect him to be, and now we have to go to a meaning discussing... Personal issues."

"How much worse?" Agatha asked. Tedros was usually was the least pessimistic out of the two, so if he was saying this now, Agatha would probably want to die during the meeting.

"Very much worse. You and I know why," Tedros and Agatha shared a horrified look, before they turned away and shuddered. If they had one thing in common, it was their disgust towards the topic of the heir.

"Unfortunately, I do. Honestly, I still have problems saying the word marriage, how do they expect me to hear…that..." Agatha finished, Tedros nodded in agreement.

"I've been hearing it all my life, and it's still very uncomfortable," Tedros said.

"It's surprising," Agatha mused to herself, "How much many want to be royalty. Unfortunately, they don't know all the pains that come along with it..."

Agatha thought back to when she was still at Gavaldon. Her hometown still brought bittersweet memories to her mind, even though she moved on to a bigger and better life, whether she liked it or not. Agatha still remembers how villagers would chat about the latest royal gossip, and talk about how perfect it would be to live the royal life. Agatha sagged. They didn't know a single thing.

They both kept walking down the hallway until they reached the two doors at the end. The two stopped right at the doors, neither wanting to walk in there. Agatha looked around, trying to mentally prepare for what possibly could be the worse talk of her life so far.

Tedros sighed loudly and opened the doors, for the dismay of both. Both Agatha and Tedros seemed to flinch at the sight of the room, before they cautiously stepped in through the doors. The room looked pretty much the same as it always did, even the same disgustingly sweet smell of lavender remained the same. Arthur was sitting in his usual red recliner, he smiled at the two; neither returned the smile, instead seeming to glare at him, or in Agatha's case, stare intently at the floor.

Agatha sat in the burgundy couch, and Tedros took a seat next to her. Both remained quiet, Arthur broke the silence:

"Seems we're quieter than usual, aren't we?" Arthur said jokingly, Tedros and Agatha gave a mirthless smile to that comment, both trying not to imagine the worst and most humiliating possiblities.

"At least this isn't a public announcement, right?" Agatha thought to herself.

"Anyway, as you two know, your coronation is coming up; it has been scheduled for May 26th, which is in a month. Tedros know most of the details and the procedures, but you, Agatha, probably don't know anything," Arthur inferred, Agatha shook her head.

"I do not," She said earnestly

What a relief! At least Arthur wouldn't immediately be jumping to the 'heir' subject... At least not yet. Agatha cringed at the thought of it.

"Well, it is simple; the ceremony will be held in the same chapel as yesterday, a Mass will be held, it is usually done to bless the future rulers. Then, your crowns will be brought by someone, we're still not quite sure who. After that, you two will officially be the rulers of Camelot; you'll have a ball in your honor, it'll be like the wedding reception, with some minor differences. And, the day after, you two will get your portrait painted, which will be put up next to all the other portraits of previous rulers," Arthur explained. Portrait? That meant standing still for like three hours, Agatha couldn't do that.

"Also, Tedros' crown is obviously safe with me; Agatha's, well, we ordered a new one, seeing as our previous crown was pretty much stolen…" Arthur said with an air of bitterness. There it goes, a Guinevere reference, which always made the atmosphere uncomfortable.

Agatha couldn't help but think about all the hatred and misery that came with the name of Guinevere. Hopefully, Agatha won't end up walking the same path as the traitorous past queen.

"We had always passed them down from generation to generation, but it seems that tradition was broken. Because we want to surprise you, my advisors and I were thinking of letting Tedros pick it for you.

Tedros seemed to jump out of his own body, looking terrified and shocked at the same time. Agatha almost laughed, before realizing this was her own crown they were talking about.

"What?! Why me?" Tedros asked, obviously confused, "What if she doesn't like it?"

Agatha almost smiled. She wouldn't really care what the crown looked like as long as it wasn't too heavy and made her look like an idiot, she was fine with anything. What did Tedros have to worry about?

"It's fine. Just pick whatever fits," Agatha reassured Tedros. in the end, all were shiny and had diamonds in them.

"It's supposed to be a gift from you to her, that's why we're thinking of doing it," Arthur explained, Agatha shrugged.

"It's alright, I bet you'll pick something good," Agatha said, as Tedros shot her a confused look. Agatha shook her head. It had technically been a vow of confidence, which could be considered flattering. Agatha didn't really judge Tedros' confusion, she usually shot him sarcastic remarks, not indirect compliments.

"Well, that's odd for you," Agatha thought.

"Afterwards, you'll gain certain duties as queen; you'll help Tedros strategize, try to find spies, rule when Tedros is not here. You are also in charge of guests; you need to make sure the guests are alright, you need to plan balls and festivals. And of course, both of you are in charge of producing an heir for the throne" And that's when Agatha's stomach fell. Tedros and she shared a quick look of embarrassment.

"Of course, it needs to be a boy, only that way, you'll have a valid heir," Arthur explained, Agatha's face was burning, she looked over to Tedros, he seemed to be avoiding looking at her.

"I don't want to ask this... But I have to..." Agatha thought to herself as she doubted her ability to even speak at the moment.

"What if it's a girl?" Agatha inquired, her face heating up as the temperature in the room seemed to rise.

"You'll have to keep trying until you have a boy." Arthur replied, Agatha wanted to scream. How could he talk about it so simply? Did he not realize both of them were dying of embarrassment?

"Oh…" Agatha mumbled, still blushing bright red.

"There's not a lot of information on the coronation yet, but we know the whole kingdom will try to come, so we'll need all of our guards here." Arthur said, he then turned to Agatha, "Did you ever see the hall of portraits? It should give you an idea of how they look" Agatha shook her head, she didn't even know they had one, until he had mentioned it.

"Really? Nobody ever showed you? Maybe Tedros could show you some time," Arthur replied, looking over at Tedros.

Agatha sighed with relief, finding her breath again as her heart stopped beating as fast. Still, she couldnt' bring herself to look at Tedros.

"I think we can do that later," Tedros said, Agatha nodded.

"I wouldn't mind that," Agatha assured, what could she lose by looking at pictures of previous snobs? It was much better than talking about heirs.

"Well, that's settled then. How did you like your wedding reception?" Arthur inquired, surprisingly, Agatha replied:

"It was very nice, I enjoyed it very much," She even pulled her most perfect smile. The more convincing, the better.

"I did too, I am so glad I had the chance to marry someone like Agatha," Tedros looked lovingly at Agatha; Agatha didn't know if he was being serious, he sounded so convincing. Agatha's smile almost faltered as she seemed to jump with shock, but she kept it, just as she blushed at that comment. Had he really meant it? She always had doubts as to whether Tedros was alright with marrying her or not.

"Oh but look at you two! I knew this was a smart choice! Agatha, your history lessons were moved to 1;30, which leaves you a little bit of spare time. You two are free to go." Arthur stood and left the two alone in the room. As soon as he left, Agatha stood from the couch.

"Okay, what the heck was that?!" Agatha exclaimed in surprise, Tedros furrowed his eyebrows.

"What was what?" Tedros asked, Agatha rolled her eyes.

"That 'I am so glad I had the chance to marry someone like Agatha' crap," Agatha demanded, still blushing from the comment.

"Oh, that was just to convince him we're already falling in love," Tedros said, and for some reason, Agatha's heart pounded loudly against her chest.

'Did you mean it or was it just a trick?" She asked quietly, Tedros quickly looked away. Agatha waited patiently for his reply.

"Well…50/50," He admitted, Agatha's face softened. Any doubts she had felt had been cleared by just a couple of words.

"Really?" She asked, genuinely surprised. Tedros nodded, he managed to look at her.

"Yeah, I mean, you're…alright," Tedros managed to say, Agatha looked away, a pink blush rising on her alabaster cheeks. She didn't know why she felt so happy about this. He just didn't regret it, it's not like Tedros loved her or anything. And anyway, it is not like Agatha would care.

"You're not that bad…" Agatha said quietly, Tedros grinned.

"I know I'm not," He said arrogantly, Agatha glared at him. Tedros laughed at her expression, even Agatha smiled a little, but then hid it.

"I think I take that back," Agatha said, Tedros smiled at her, Agatha looked away quickly.

"Do you want to go see those portraits my dad mentioned?" Tedros asked, Agatha shrugged.

"Alright." She agreed, "I guess I can get an idea of what they want,"

"They're really…" Tedros started, looking for a fitted word.

"Flashy?" Agatha offered, Tedros nodded.

"You could say that," Tedros finally said, "Want to head out?" Agatha nodded, Tedros stood from his seat and they started walking, then, they walked out of the door.

"Where is this even located?" Agatha asked Tedros

"In the other wing, brace yourself for a long walk," Tedros replied, Agatha groaned. Did castles really need to be that big?

"On which floor?" Agatha asked

"Second, at least we don't need to go downstairs, or upstairs," Tedros said, Agatha shrugged.

"Do you ever get lost in here?" Agatha inquired, she guessed he didn't, but she felt curiosity.

"Not really. I may take a wrong turn and end in a completely different place. Other than that, I don't," Tedros replied, Agatha nodded.

"Of course he's better than me in every way," Agatha thought sullenly. When she realized what she thought, Agatha bit her lip and thought, "Don't think like that! Since when did it matter?

"Do you?" Tedros asked Agatha, she nodded.

"I was just getting used to the location of my chambers; now I need to learn a new one," Agatha said sheepishly. Getting lost was still a problem, and it was hard not to. The wrong turn, and you'll end up in a completely different place. Take the wrong set of stairs and you'll be at the opposite side of the castle. It was like a maze.

"It does take a while to learn where to go," Tedros admitted, "Once I got lost when I was ten; they found me when they realized I never made it to supper," Agatha grinned at that.

"Where did they find you?" Agatha asked, slightly amused at the thought of Tedros getting lost.

"My father's office, they were really worried," Tedros said.

Agatha nearly giggled at the thought of a 10 year old Tedros peering at his father's stacks of papers, not knowing what to do. "Wait, since when did I 'giggle'?!" Agatha thought to herself, alarmed.

"This place sometimes does feel like a maze," Agatha pointed out, thinking about how big the palace was.

"You know what's ironic?" Tedros asked, Agatha shrugged.

"We have a maze in the garden, don't even ask why we have one," Agatha raised an eyebrow at that, before cracking a smile.

"I didn't even know you had a garden," Agatha admitted. It seemed the castle had everything one could imagine. It could fit an entire pool in the palace and only use a fraction of the space!

"Yeah, a rose garden; one of the previous queen wanted one, so they gave her one. The only people that go there are couples," Tedros shrugged, "I guess it has more of a romantic appeal than what I thought," Agatha rolled her eyes.

"Of course. I'm surprised no one ever told you to go there," Agatha snorted. It seemed as if everybody wanted the pair to fall in love like fools, so it could have been used as a plan for some bonding.

"Oh, Chaddick did; I refused." Tedros confessed, "A few days after you arrived, actually. But I hated you too much to do that. And so did you," Agatha nodded in agreement, the heat rising to her cheeks netherless.

Suddenly, an image of Tedros and herself holding hands in the rose gardens, close to kissing floated to her mind. "Wait! What?!" Agatha internally shouted at herself. "Get these stupid thoughts out of my head!"

"Good thing you didn't; I don't like flowers," Agatha expressed, struggling to keep the converation going. She had never really liked flowers, so there was no point of thinking about some romantic situation with Tedros in the rose garden.

"I didn't even see the point, I was too focused on thinking how horrible you were; you probably were doing the same," Tedros commented, bringing Agatha completely back from her embarrassing daydream.

"Oh, I was," Agatha began, "I could barely stand the thought of you, yet everybody I talked to seemed to love you" She remembered her irritation at that time. People practically kissed the floor on which Tedros walked, but Agatha hated him.

He remained silent for a couple of seconds, until he finally spoke again:

"It feels as if that was a long time ago," Tedros said wistfully, "I feel as if I had known you for months"

Agatha pondered for a minute; it did actually feel as an awfully long time, when in reality, it had only been a month. She was so used to Tedros now, he didn't even get on her nerves that much, only occasionally. It felt like somehow she hated him a year ago, and a month ago they became friends. It was strange how time could pour over itself in a way that made everything slow down and speed up at the same time.

"It does." Agatha admitted, while they took a turn to the right. Hallways of green walls and blue tapestry surrounded them. They kept walking straight for a while, then turned left, went down a set of stairs for a 'shortcut', went into a room, crossed through a door to another room, went upstairs again, and several other turns and twists, they were nearing the hall…only about half hour later.

"Does very ruler need a portrait?" Agatha asked, she didn't like the idea of them having to paint her.

"Yes, it's a tradition, and traditions are taken extremely seriously" Tedros said matter-of-factly. Agatha hesitated, but decided to ask:

"Like the crowns?' She noticed how Tedros momentarily stiffened, maybe not the best thing to ask.

"I probably shouldn't have asked," Agatha mumbled, obviously abashed.

"It's alright," Tedros said, "It is a valid question to ask," Agatha heard the formality in Tedros's voice.

"Of course it was a tradition! But you needed to ask!" She mentally scolded herself.

"You really don't mind what crown I pick?" Tedros asked, trying to relieve the temporary, heavy feeling in the atmosphere.

"No, I truly don't," Agatha said earnestly, "I'll end up with one anyways," And it was the absolute true. At the end of the 26th, she would have one.

"I appreciate that, makes my job easier" Tedros said, grinning at that. Agatha rolled her eyes.

"No problem," Agatha replied, Tedros was now smiling at her, again.

"Wait. Why are we acting like friends?..." Another thought popped up in Agatha's head. "He's been smiling at you an awful lot today," Agatha observed. Could Arietta's delusion be true? Could Tedros actually like her? Agatha shook it off quickly.

They reached a couple of big, burgundy doors. Like all the doors in the castle, they had a pair of golden handles, Tedros reached for them and opened them, and Agatha stepped in.

The room looked more like a hallway; it was long and narrow. Its floors were carpeted in deep shade of navy blue, while its walls were painted burgundy, and along the walls, there laid the portraits. They ranged in size, some couldn't be wider than 17 inches, and others had to be at least 30 inches. Agatha walked through the hall, observing all the paintings. Some of these kings looked like they were crazy, others looked really old, while others looked no older than seventeen. The paintings all were amazing, they really had worked hard on them. As Agatha moved along the halls, the more she advanced in time. Some had the name of who they had depicted, others didn't have any name. The more Agatha walked, the more advanced was the painting technique; more shading, deeper colors and more realistic. She walked until she reached the last painting.

It depicted a young couple; the man was blonde with blue eyes, he wore his crown atop his head. He had a serious expression on his face, but the artist had also added a little bit of pride in his eyes. Now, the woman next to him had brown hair, it had been pulled in a bun and she also had a crown atop her head. Het expression was also serious, but there was something more to it, like a certain melancholy.

These were Tedros' parents, possibly twenty years ago.

Agatha stepped back, and collided with Tedros, who had sneaked up behind her. Agatha let out a little yelp.

"Sorry," Tedros apologized. Other than that, they just stared at the painting silently.

"When were your parents named King and Queen?' Agatha asked in a hushed tone.

"When they were 16, so eighteen years ago" Tedros replied silently.

"You really look like a copy of your father" Agatha observed, Tedros nodded.

"I do," He said quietly. Agatha observed the painting even more. Arthur looked pretty much the same, only older. As for Guinevere, she couldn't tell, other than the fact she wasn't exceptionally beautiful, not that Agatha was, of course.

"And you look a lot like your mother," Tedros observed, Agatha nodded, she looked from the painting to Tedros, and for the first time, she really studied his features. She noticed how his golden blonde hair was slightly wavy at the tips, how high his cheekbones were, and how bright blue his eyes were. She guessed that's what girls found attractive in him.

"Other girls, not me," Agatha thought quickly, she thought he was alright. That was it. Even if the little pink blush that rose in her cheeks would differ.

Tedros turned to her, giving her a strange look. Agatha flinched. "Were you staring at me?" Agatha blushed, quickly turning away.

"No," She lied, shifting in her position with Tedros looked at her with narrowed eyes, but he dropped the subject, much to Agatha's relief.

"I think I'm going to head out, I need to go to History, and I don't know where that is." Agatha informed Tedros.

"I think it could be the same room where they taught me History; I could take you there" Tedros offered

"Oh, it's alright, you don't need to. I can sort of remember the way back. Sort of." Agatha said. She didn't really mind going alone, she was used to being alone.

"But don't you need to know where it is?" Tedros asked, Agatha let out an 'oh'.

"You are right, I guess you could tell me where it is," Agatha replied.

"Third floor, other wing. I'll show you," Tedros said, he then started walking, and Agatha followed him.

And so they went through the halls, and the room, to go up and then down, and up again. Twisted and turned some more, until they finally started nearing the west wing. It had been a rather silent walk; the only words that had been exchanged had been when Agatha asked a question and then when Tedros replied. Agatha could feel the awkwardness creeping up into the atmosphere.

"And we were acting all friendly with each other only a minute ago," Agatha muttered softly to herself.

"What was that?" Tedros questioned her, giving her a strange look.

"Nothing,"

It felt awfully strange having Tedros taking her from place to place; Agatha had gotten so used to Arietta and Nerida and she hadn't even realized it. And it was also rather peculiar to think Tedros was being so nice to her. She knew that in front of Arthur, Tedros would act as if she was the only girl he could even think of looking, but other than that, she was unsure as to where she stood with him. Agatha knew he didn't hate her, which was good, seeing as they were already married.

"The real question here is; how do you feel about him?" Agatha thought. She didn't really hate him anymore, she attributed some part to the marriage. She guessed in way, she thought his company was alright. Ugh, why was everything so…confusing. She didn't hate him, but she didn't love him, it was a feeling in the middle. Isn't that liking? Or is it tolerating? Agatha didn't even know.

Tedros suddenly stopped, making Agatha stop abruptly. They were in a hallway with azure tapestry, the usual paintings in the walls. They had stopped in front of two wooden doors, and both of them had golden handles.

"I'm pretty sure it should be here, usually everybody gets their History taught here" Tedros said, Agatha nodded. An awkward silence passed the pair.

"Well, thank you for…showing me where it was" Agatha said quietly, looking at her shoes.

"No problem" Tedros replied, they both gazed at each other for a moment, his blue eyes staring directly at her dark ones. Agatha noticed how long Tedros' gaze lingered on her; it made her a little nervous.

He approached her and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, Agatha blushed, and then silently panicked. This sounded like one of those romantic novels Sophie read.

"Oh God, is he going to kiss me now? Why would he even? There's no reason for that. There's no reason for you to even be wondering that!' Agatha thought…but he didn't. Instead, Tedros backed up, as if realizing he was too close. He then rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"I…I'll see you later…most likely at supper…" Tedros then walked away, sending a little wave to Agatha. She returned it stupidly.

She then crossed the doors, hoping Sader would be there waiting for her. But she could feel a strange feeling of disappointment.

"What's happening to me?" Agatha asked herself, feeling trapped in the castle, trapped in her own body and her own life. "What's going on? Why do I feel this way?"

Nothing ever happened, Agatha tried reassuring herself, soothing all of her weird feelings. Nothing. Is. Happening.

Sucking in a deep breath, trying to calm down all of her feeligns, Agatha stepped into the room. She still felt slightly disappointed, strangely enough. These feelings...

It was a feeling she couldn't understand, but she couldn't brush it off either


	17. Strange feelings

**Hey guys! After two weeks, the chapter is finally up! I hope you guys will enjoy reading it!**

Agatha stepped through the doors, which lead her to a room with teal-colored walls, a big long mahogany table and many chairs placed around such table. And at the back of the room, a big balcony could be found. Agatha was still in awe of the grand decorated palace, even if she felt like she was here forever. Agatha was still in awe of the grand decorated palace, even if she felt like she was here forever.

Sader was sitting the mahogany table; he was wearing light blue robes, and he was smiling at Agatha. In front of him laid a big textbook, a quill and ink. Agatha slowly approached him and took a seat in a chair next to him.

"Hello, Agatha, it's good to see you again," Sader said, smiling warmly at her.

"Hello," Agatha replied shortly, not sure of what to say and still thinking over the... thing that almost happened.

"Did you enjoy your wedding?" Sader asked, the same question she felt she had answered a billion times already. Agatha internally sighed at having to tell long stories about her wedding day.

"I did, it was fun," Agatha said, a small smile tugging at her mouth.

She thought about Tedros for a moment, and remembered the wedding kiss. Was that what Tedros's kiss would've felt like if they did kiss before she walked in? Light, airy, and perfect? Agatha pinched herself, knocking the thought out of her head.

"Good to hear; but we need to get to business; getting you to learn Camelot's history. We will start with the very beginning, which is not a long chapter. We will then escalate as far into modern times as we can. You should know at least a quarter of this in a month," Sader explained.

"How many chapters are there?" Agatha asked curiously.

"36 chapters total," Sader replied calmly, Agatha's eyes widened.

36 chapters? A quarter meant... 9 chapters to learn!

"And do I need to know a quarter before May 26th?" Agatha inquired, getting nervous at that thought.

"Well, yes,"

"But that's too much!" Agatha complained before cringing at her sudden outburst. This would not look good for her. And besides, she wouldn't be able to memorize nine chapters in a month, if they even got to the fifth chapter.

"The first three chapters are short, there's not that much to them," Sader said, Agatha's eyes were still full of shock. She groaned loudly.

"Will I be tested on them?" Agatha asked, fearing the answer.

"Of course" Sader replied. Agatha nearly slammed her head in the table, but the haunting voice of Professor Anemone came back to her and the fact that doing that would really hurt and permanently damager her brain. She needed all the brain cells she could get right now.

"You'll be alright, Agatha. You said you couldn't dance, but did great last night. You're a smart girl, you'll be fine," Sader assured, watching as Agatha moped with her head in her hands. Agatha slowly looked up.

"Alright, let's get started with this," Agatha finally complied, Sader handed her the textbook. She read the cover.

"Camelot's History; The Kingdom through the centuries,"

By August Sader

Below the title was a beautifully drawn castle that made it seem almost real that it seemed to pop out of the picture. The flag of Camelot, flashing the colors of blue and gold was layed out next to the picture of the castle. Agatha wondered who drew that picture.

"You wrote a book?" Agatha asked in shock, Sader nodded silently.

"I know it might look arrogant from me, but I figured this would be the best resource." Sader said. Then, he set a strict gaze on Agatha. "Now, open to page 3."

Agatha sighed, but did so. She saw the neat handwriting of Professor Sader layed out beneath her, all of the black ink blending together when she squinted at the paper. He then started talking, Agatha started taking notes.

"Now, Camelot's history starts out with what you might call a fairytale, but is an in-depth story that shaped Camelot into what the kingdom is now. We will start with the war of the two brothers..."

It was a pretty long hour. Camelot's beginning wasn't the most exciting thing Agatha had heard.

"And that's why they chose him as a leader." Sader finally finished, after an hour. Agatha wrote quickly and messily on her piece of parchment, trying to get all the information she could while keeping up with Sader.

Agatha let out a huge breathe that she didn't realize she had been holding in. It was over! She set down her quill, her hand aching from scribbling down all of her notes.

Sader took her sheet of notes and Agatha froze. Sader was going to check her notes? But her fear sooned washed away - Sader was nodding slowly, a slow smile spreading across his face. That was a good sign.

"You did good," He said simply before he handed back the paper. An expression of huge relief broke out through Agatha's cloudy face.

"That's all for today, seeing as tomorrow is Sunday, you get the day off. I'll see you again on Monday." Sader said, Agatha nodded, she then stood from her seat, taking her piece of parchment with her.

"Alright then. Can I take the textbook with me?" Agatha asked, Sader nodded.

"It's for you to use," He said.

"Thank you. I will see you on Monday then," Agatha said, and with that, she left the room.

She had never taken a History class; Gavaldon's history was really short and uneventful, therefore, there weren't many books that had much information. Agatha nearly laughed at the thought. Gavaldon, a small village that nobody knew? Gavaldon will never have a grand library entailing the history of the small village like Camelot does. And she used to live in Gavaldon, worse than a nobody. Now, she was a queen of one of the most prosperous and famous kingdoms in the world!

Agatha thought over what she learned today for awhile. Camelot's beginnings had been monotonous, but Agatha didn't really expect anything too flashy.

She walked for a bit of time, trying to find her chambers. It was frustrating, walking in endless halls, but at one point she finally found her chambers. When reaching the doors, she slid them open and placed her textbook and the parchment on the desk there was. She sat on the chair and started reading over the notes she had taken; she thought going over them would help her, that way she would remember what she just learned.

Agatha rubbed her temples and leaned back on her chair, history class had distracted her from what had happened prior to the class. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Tedros had been so close to her, or why there was a slight feeling of disappointment in the pit of her stomach. What was it anyway? Why had that feeling settled inside of her?

Now all of the history facts she tried so hard to memorize were being thrown out of her brain. Agatha felt like her chest was being twisted and the thumping of her heart was like the beat of the drums to a dance. What exactly was she feeling?

"Maybe you wanted Tedros to kiss you," Said a voice in her head, her eyes widened at that thought.

"No, no, no, no, no, no and no. That's not it," Agatha said, while standing up from her chair. She did not want Tedros to kiss her. Just the idea made her blush. Why would she want that idiot to kiss her? Why would he even think of kissing her? What is wrong with her?

"Isn't this pathetic?" Agatha thought to herself. "Thinking to myself about all of these... Trivial matters." Agatha slightly smiled at her use of words and tried to force herself to laugh at the thought.

It didn't work though. Agatha was completely serious about that almost-kiss.

"Argh," Agatha groaned. "I'm spending way too much time with Arietta," Agatha paced around the room; what was wrong with her? Until a month ago, just the sole idea of Tedros made her sick, and here she is now; having an internal debate with her own conscience over such a petty thing.

"I do not want to kiss Tedros," She said to herself, as if trying to convince herself. Agatha went back to her chair and focused on her History textbook, a subject with actual relevance.

"I do not want to kiss Tedros," Agatha repeated again.

"I do not want to kiss Tedros,"

Agatha would say that same line over one hundred times to rid herself of the fluttery feeling she got from the idea. But no matter how many times she would say it, it never stopped the increasing feelings in her heart and mind.

Tedros couldn't believe how much of an idiot he was.

He was currently with his father and his advisors, supposedly discussing matters of great importance; but Tedros couldn't focus. He was too concentrated on his own stupidity to even try to hear other's idiocy. Tedros didn't even know what they were discussing anymore! The room was full of suggestions, yet Tedros couldn't hear anything except for his own voice.

And for what seemed the billionth time in the past hour, he asked himself:

"What were you thinking? Why did you do that? Why were you thinking about kissing Agatha?"

In reality, he hadn't been thinking. He just got caught in a moment, as if there was something about her that had pulled him close to her. What did she even think about it? Probably Agatha hates him now, again. Or maybe she brushed it off? Oh, who was he kidding? Agatha probably doesn't even want to see him.

"Great job, Tedros. Now your wife most think you really are an idiot," Tedros scolded himself mentally.

He didn't understand; one month ago, he absolutely despised Agatha, he thought she was evil personified. Now what? He…likes her. Tedros mentally groaned, there was no denying it, he liked Agatha. He liked her in an 'I-like-you-more-than-friends-way'. A few days before the wedding, they were actually friendly towards each other. And now he had feelings for her? how could this happen in just a few days? How could he... Like Agatha? He couldn't believe he had just admitted that. He liked his wife, which had to be singlehandedly the most pitiful statement ever.

Tedros could pinpoint when this all started; the kiss at the altar.

At first, he thought it was going to be revolting, just like her. Then, he thought it was just going to be embarrassing. But it was neither. It felt good. It felt right, as if he was only meant to kiss her lips. Tedros didn't even know how to describe it - like a cloud, maybe. He didn't say anything, he just tried to brush it off, but he couldn't. He knew it had been less than a day since their wedding, but this had been pestering his thought since then.

"Oh God," He groaned, only this time he did it out loud. All the advisors turned to look at him, he suddenly felt embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really tired," Tedros apologized, feeling completely abashed and utterly embarrassed in front of the royal council.

"Of course he's tired, I bet the party last night didn't end for him when it did for him," One of them snickered, Tedros sank in his seat. He didn't need jokes with that kind of connotation, not at this moment.

"So what is our resolution?" One of the council members asked. "What shall we do about the issues revolving around this matter?"

Arthur shook his head. "I think it is best to wait and see."

Tedros sighed to himself. He was so distracted by his thoughts, he didn't even know what was going on!

"Are we done here then, Arthur?" Arthur nodded at him.

"You are all dismissed," Arthur conceded, the men stood up and left. Tedros included.

He dashed out of those doors immediately, his head filled with thoughts.

Tedros was trying to run away from it all. Including his shocking feelings for Agatha.

Before Agatha realized it, it was time for supper. She realized when she exited her room and saw the clock that was placed in a table in the hall.

She had spent the last hours reading over the history notes, she then took a walk to clear her mind. A part of her never wanted to talk about her feelings, but another really, small part of her wanted to go running to either Nerida or Arietta to tell them. Most likely, Nerida would listen and then say something like: "It's alright to be confused," while Arietta would simply contradict her and say: "Just admit you like him". It was rather ironic how opposite the maids were, yet they got along so well.

"Nerida, Arietta, where are you? I could really need help right now..." Agatha tried to send a prayer that will reach to Nerida and Arietta. When the two maids didn't come dashing down to meet her, Agatha sighed.

"Guess it's just me then,"

Agatha walked along the halls, trying to find the Great Hall, and trying to banish all of her crazy thoughts from her head. She had a hard time in doing so (with finding the Great Hall), but she did. Meanwhile, her confusion about Tedros and the almost-kiss (Agatha resolved to calling it that) didn't wash away yet. Agatha smiled. She would forget about Tedros and all of that stuff right now. She found the Great Hall without any help! Sure, it's been more than angering to take all the wrong turns, but she did it, didn't she? A feeling of satisfaction and pride rose in her chest as she pushed the wooden doors and stepped through them. She walked through the room, and she spotted Tedros sitting at the same table as this morning.

She quickly looked down, trying not to blush. "There's nothing worth swooning here, Agatha. Nothing worth it,"

Agatha took a seat next to him, Tedros looked slightly surprised at this. Agatha didn't exactly know why, so she just brushed it off.

"Hi," Tedros said quietly

"Hi," Agatha returned lamely. The characteristic awkwardness hung in the atmosphere.

"Isn't this just great?" Agatha asked herself as she tapped her fingers on her knee.

Just like they had during breakfast, they had really small talk. They just asked each other what they had done during the previous hours, and it was told in very brief sentences. The food came and absolute silence settled over the Great Hall, neither spoke a single word. Sound came rushing in when the servants came to pick up their plates. After that, both left the Great Hall, not really knowing where to go.

They just walked in a straight direction for a while, unsurprisingly, neither really said anything.

"Where do you want to go?" Tedros asked Agatha as they walked; she shrugged.

"Don't really know, it's too early to go to bed, and I don't really know what to do" She replied simply.

"Me neither," Tedros said, "I might as well walk around for like an hour"

"I can settle for that" Agatha said, "Do you guys hold too many balls annually?"

"Not really, we spend more time going to balls than actually planning them. We do have a Winter Ball, which is really close to my birthday" Tedros observed, Agatha raised her eyebrows.

"When is your birthday?" She asked.

"December 16th, and the Ball is usually held on the 20th, or somewhere along those dates. When is yours?'

"June 27th, I just realized that is coming up," Agatha said, she had forgotten her own birthday was coming up, how foolish was that?

It's not like her birthday was much to remember before though. Agatha wasn't some kind of angel who descended from heaven in Gavaldon, and if she even were to blurt out it was her birthday, everybody would keep on walking, ignoring her. Agatha's eyes clouded, thinking about the kind of life she had in Gavaldon. The only light she had there was Sophie, and though she didn't show her love that much, her mother.

Agatha didn't realize how trapped she was in Gavaldon. She still couldn't get over the fact that she, Agatha, was chosen as a joke to be a queen. And now she actually almost was one, and it wasn't so... Horrible. Terrible. Chaotic.

"Life-changing," Agatha thought to herself. "One word to describe everything I've felt and never gotten over this month and few days."

"It is coming up," Tedros said, looking ahead.

A princess' birthday. It must've been a big deal, compared to the homely Agatha's birthday that nobody even cared about.

"Yeah. So, where and when does your dad even has dinner?" Agatha asked, shaking all of her useless thoughts out of her head, Tedros shrugged

"He sometimes eats at like nine, he is pretty busy all day; sometimes I stay with him until about eight in the evening."

"Doing what?"

"Mostly legal paperwork, it's tedious and it takes a long time,"

"Sounds like fun" Agatha said sarcastically, Tedros nodded, a smile cracking through his expressionless face.

They walked through dim halls, with only a few torches lighting them. They saw some people here and there, most of them were servants, though some looked like royalty.

"Where are all the royals that came to the wedding? As in foreign royalty," Agatha asked.

"Other wing, they get all those dormitories for a while. I ran into a group of them today," Tedros said. Agatha's eyebrows shot in surprise.

"Really? What were they doing?" Agatha asked, she could imagine a little clique of snobby princess, all sitting in a circle while drinking tea and talking about the latest gossip.

"They were just talking in one of those meeting rooms, I didn't really care what they were talking, until they threw around our names," Tedros told, Agatha furrowed her eyebrows.

"Was it good or bad?" She asked. Considering it included herself, it was probably bad.

"Well, they said that it was unheard of having a peasant as a queen, then one of them went on to point out how much of a bad fit you were. It all ended on how sorry they felt for me, I just assumed they were all envious of you," Tedros finished, Agatha quickly looked away.

She didn't want to think about that now. Just when everything was being put together, she didn't want to be reminded that she was the exact opposite of a real queen. Agatha's shoulders slumped as she stared, defeated, at the wall.

"Of course they said that," Agatha said sullenly. Of course some princesses would say she wasn't fitted for the throne, and of course they would pity Tedros.

"And Tedros probably feels the same way about me, like the other princesses," Somehow, that thought made Agatha even more miserable.

"I did tell them I would rather be married to you than any of them, which left them in utter shock," Tedros grinned, Agatha's eyes widened.

"You did what?"

"Oh, and I also said you were a lovely person," Tedros said simply, Agatha's eyes looked like even bigger saucers than they normally were.

"What?!"

"Was that a bad thing?" Tedros asked, slightly confused.

"No!" Agatha coughed at Tedros's even more puzzled expression at her outburst. "I mean... Thank you," She tried to muster up her best smile.

"It was no problem, really. You should have seen their faces," Tedros said, a smile playing on his lips.

"I bet that was priceless," Agatha said, her eyes slightly lighting up.

"It was," Tedros said.

"You know, I think I'll head for our chambers, is that time of the day that demands for me toke off the obnoxious corset" Agatha said, she could feel the atrocious corset digging on her sides, and after dinner, it felt even tighter.

"Are you going to need help again?" Tedros asked Agatha

"I guess, I mean I guess I could ask either Nerida or Arietta to help me, after all, they're my maids," Agatha reasoned.

"I guess you could, I mean, it's no problem really," Tedros said, Agatha raised an eyebrow at him.

"Want to undress me that badly?" Tedros blushed bright red at that second, Agatha smirked.

"No! I, uh, no, I-I mean...argh!" Tedros sputtered desperately, Agatha let out a little laugh.

"Just teasing you," She walked away, still smirking. Tedros looked on, exasperated and completely worn out from her teasing.

"I think I hate you again," Tedros said, catching up to her. Agatha rolled her eyes.

"I think you'll have to anyways, I just realized I don't know where either of them are at the moment" Agatha said, looking over at Tedros, whose cheeks were still a little pink.

Agatha smiled at that fact, she didn't really know why, maybe because it was funny seeing him all flustered.

"Okay then, let's get this over with," Agatha said, standing in front of the bathroom's doors. Tedros stood opposite of her. He signaled her to turn around and she did.

Agatha felt when Tedros fingers brushed against the laces of her dresses. A part of her still blushed at the fact he needed to do this, other part of her didn't seem to mind that much as last night. But it was still embarrassing, and slightly degrading.

He was done relatively quickly, at least with the dress's laces.

Agatha cast her gaze to the ceiling. At least this wasn't as awkward as it was before. Well... It still was.

"Do I just start undoing the corset while you still have your dress on?" He asked, a little ashamed to ask. Agatha nodded.

"At least try; if it doesn't work, I'll…I'll just take off the dress," She said, her cheeks burning.

"Alright," Tedros then started to undo the corset, and gradually, Agatha felt like she could breathe easily

"Uh, Agatha?" Tedros said.

"Yes?"

"I can't get to the last lace of the corset; the dress covers it," Agatha could hear the embarrassment in his tone, and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Well, this is just great," Agatha thought sarcastically to herself. Wonderful.

"Please tell me you're joking,"

"I am not,"

Silence… Agatha then sighed.

"Fine, I'll just kind of…" Agatha slid the dress of her shoulders, trying to get it right below the corset. The corset was so loose it almost fell off, she quickly held it with her hand.

"Can you get it now?" She asked, silently cursing at the current situation.

"I should be able…" Tedros said quietly, he then unlaced the last one. Agatha exhaled in relief.

"Thank you…sorry for the inconvenience," Agatha apologized, her cheeks had a little pink tint to them.

"No problem…" Tedros said, while looking away.

Agatha just threw the corset to the floor and held the dress against her chest. She then got her nightgown and went to the bathroom to change.

As she slid on the nightgown, she wondered how life managed to put her in situations like these. If only there was an easier method to tie dresses than laces. She hoped one day she would laugh at this, she really did.

Looking at the clean mirror in front of her, Agatha compared herself to her old Gavaldon self. Fancy dresses, a big castle, actually being pretty, and handsome princes... Agatha blushed at that part. So much has changed.

Taking a ribbon and a few clips out of her hair, Agatha watched as her hair cascaded down, just barely reaching past her shoulders. Now, glossy and having a clean sheen to it, Agatha thought back to a time with greasy hair... She felt like the old Agatha, but yet, not really.

She went out of the bathroom, only to find Tedros taking off his shirt. She blushed at that sight, then looked away. Agatha tried to ignore that fact.

"Oh, I didn't hear you," Tedros said.

Agatha frowned at Tedros's casualness, and tried to scrub away the image of Tedros being shirtless from her mind.

"Obviously," Agatha thought out loud, Tedros rolled his eyes at the comment.

"I'm not the one who always needs help with undressing," Agatha glared at him.

"I do it for necessity, you do it for exhibitionism," Agatha retorted.

"Well, I mean, how can you complain when you have this sight?" Tedros said cockily, Agatha grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it in his direction, aiming at Tedros' head.

Tedros stumbled onto the bed from the impact of Agatha's impact with a small muffled "Oof", but he quickly got up, carrying 2 or 3 more pillows?

"Did you really throw a pillow at me?" He asked. Agatha grinned, throwing another pillow at him. Tedros blocked it with his pillow.

"Twice now," She said. Tedros threw one back at her, then Agatha did the same, until they were engaged in a full pillow fight.

"I can't believe you are honestly hitting me with a pillow," Tedros said, while hitting Agatha.

"You're doing the same!" Agatha retorted, Tedros then remained quiet, and just stopped hitting her. Then he tackled her onto the bed and started tickling her.

Agatha felt the soft cusion of the bed bounce as she fell back, now choking between laughs as Tedros continued to tickle her.

"Stop! You cheater!" Agatha said between giggles, but he made no sign of even listening.

"I told you stop," Agatha said, laughing hysterically. Both laughed like idiots, as if there was not a care in the world. Until Tedros realized how it looked, and Agatha didn't take too long either. Both widened their eyes, but made no intent to move, as if they had just frozen. But Agatha just started to laugh again.

"Get off me!" She said, while she pushed Tedros off to the side. He just laid next to her.

"You started it all," He accused her.

"You tackled me,"

"You allowed me,"

"You're a cheater,"

"It's not that bad,"

"You were tickling me!" Tedros faced her, she was still smiling. He smiled back at her.

"You're such an idiot," Agatha said, still smiling.

"Yeah, but we're stuck together," Tedros replied, Agatha laughed.

And she wasn't thinking when she somehow blurted out what she said next.

"…I'm glad we are…" She said quietly, Tedros stared at her, speechless.

Agatha blushed, looking away. She shouldn't have said that! Now everything was definitely awkward!

Tedros turned over to face Agath... and smiled back at her again. Agatha relaxed, though still slightly embarrassed.

"Me too," he said quietly, and somehow, his hand found hers and held it.

It was a feeling of warmth, warmer and more comforting than any flame or fireplace. It was as if she's been falling all this time, but never knew, and finally, she landed softly on land. She was floating and flying, like a bird. A bird who has finally been freed from a cage. The soothing touch of Tedros's hand calmed Agatha...

And she didn't let go. She held it even tighter, as if she'll never let it go.

Turning over to face Tedros, she saw that he was... Already asleep. Agatha shook her head. He was an idiot.

"You might be an idiot, but you're my idiot," She thought, and it was in that moment when Agatha finally realized something, something she had been denying; she did like Tedros.

She liked him a lot.


	18. Peak

` The first weeks of marriage went by rather quickly, which was surprising, for Agatha expected them to be slower.

She had history class every day, except on the weekends, she studied really hard every day. Sometimes Tedros would find her hunched over her textbook, trying to get as much information as she could. And if History wasn't enough, she still had to go to Etiquette once a week; fortunately, it had gotten much more tolerable, since Anemone didn't reprimand her as much as she used to; Agatha still held a slight dislike for the class, but at least Anemone didn't get on her nerves as much as she did.

And with the course of the weeks, being with Tedros got less awkward. When they had their meals, there wasn't as much of the initial awkward silence, they didn't flinch or complain when they had to sit next to each other, and when people asked them something like, 'how's married life going?' they would just smile and say it was going great. The more time they spent with each other, the more they had grown to like the other. It was odd, but being married wasn't miserable, it was quite interesting. Any feeling of dislike had completely disappeared, as the two teenagers now looked at each other as an actual couple, not just two people that were stuck in an arranged marriage.

Even though neither really shared how they felt for the other verbally, they secretly showed it. Every morning, Tedros would wake up before Agatha, she usually would be sound asleep, and he would go up to her and kiss her temple. Whether she knew or not, it was unknown to him, but he did it anyways. And when Agatha would say he was her husband, there was a certain happiness and pride when she said; this, of course, made Tedros happy, but he didn't say anything.

Mid May sneaked up under their noses, and as of now, all they heard was; coronation this, coronation that, coronation topics everywhere. The date was approaching, and they were nervous, and rightfully so, after all, ruling a country it's a serious deal. As of today, there was less than five days before the event, for it had been moved from the 26th to the 24th, because the 26th was a Monday.

On one of the mornings, Nerida went up to their room and knocked on the doors, hoping she wouldn't be bothering; she never was, really, but that was just Nerida, she hated to bother her patrons, well, people in general. Tedros opened the doors, like he usually did.

"Oh, good morning Nerida" He said, letting her in.

"Good morning Tedros," Nerida said, she and Arietta had stopped using his title; he said it was too formal, especially for Nerida, who was older than him. "Is Agatha awake?" She asked, Tedros shook his head.

"Is she ever?" He replied, Nerida smiled.

"Do you ever wake her up?" She asked Tedros

"Not really, unless we're late for breakfast" He replied, looking over at Agatha. Nerida approached her and tried to wake her up.

"Agatha, wake up, you need to get ready." She said, Agatha groaned in reply

"Why? Just give me five more minutes" Agatha said drowsily

"Agatha, please, we go over this every day" Nerida said softly, Agatha complied and got up begrudgingly. Nerida went over to the closet and just got her the first dress and first corset she found. Agatha walked slowly to the bathroom, Nerida followed close behind her.

Nerida closed the bathroom doors, and Agatha just stood there, stretching and yawning. They followed the usual routine; Nerida helped her getting into the corset, then the dress, making small talk meanwhile.

"So, how are you and Tedros doing?" Nerida asked, tying the laces of the dress, Agatha blushed a little.

"Um…good, I would say…"She replied, still embarrassed. The subject of Tedros was rather…awkward.

"How so?" She asked

"I mean, it's not as awkward as it used to be, and he's pretty sweet when he wants to be," Agatha said, feeling like a normal giddy teenager. Nerida smiled knowingly at that

"Ah, I see, I get that feeling with David." She sighed dreamily, Agatha giggled, "Hey, Arietta said she kind of wanted to do your nails today, because I said you need a haircut, so if you could go to your old room, it would be great."

"Of course; I do need a haircut" Agatha observed, her hair was now past her shoulders, she never had such long hair.

"And you can tell us all about Tedros" Nerida joked, Agatha blushed.

"Oh come on! That's Arietta's thing!' Agatha exclaimed, Nerida giggled.

"No worries, I'll tease her with Xalvador, that always sets her off" Nerida said cheekily

"Oh yeah, what is the story behind those two, anyways?" Agatha asked Nerida, the latter sighed.

"You know how you hated Tedros when you first met him? Because he was arrogant and all that jazz?" Agatha nodded.

"Well, my brother Xalvador is sort of like Tedros; he seems cocky, but he's the biggest dork ever. Ever. He works as a guard here, and when he got that position, he was so excited he just talked about that for like two days. But anyways, since he's a huge dork, he has had this huge crush on Arietta since he was 14 and she was…12, I think, like a _huge_ crush." Nerida paused to emphasize, she then continued:

"But he got so nervous around her he wouldn't talk to her. After he got the guard position, he had some confidence, and tried to approach her; well, it backfired. Because, apparently, he just bragged about it to her. And that was two years ago. Afterwards, he just teased her a lot, and that got on her nerves. Arietta despises him, he tries not to let it bother him, but it gets to him sometimes. Xalvador really cares about her, though. She broke her wrist last year and he actually paid for the bandages for her, but he didn't say anything. And now he's 19, so my parents asked him, 'well, which of the sisters you want to marry?' and he immediately said Arietta, without a second thought. So, apparently, their wedding will be next year, because Arietta's parents _adore_ him, they say he is a 'pleasure to have'. So Arietta is just like you; stuck with an apparent jerk, who in reality is a huge nerd who is head over heels with Arietta. I, personally, find the whole thing adorable." Nerida finished, and she also had finished tying Agatha's laces. Agatha turned around to face her

"So let me get this straight," Agatha started, "he apparently loves her, but he couldn't even tell her the bandages thing? I don't really know anything about love, but that…that is not going to help his situation…" She finished.

"Exactly! I have told him so many times! Mostly because I really care about Xalvador, I have literally said, 'grow a pair and tell her how you feel!', but will he listen? No! And I secretly want them to get together, because Xalvador is my favorite brother, and Arietta it's my best friend!" Nerida rambled, Agatha raised an eyebrow at her.

"I think Arietta's tendencies are rubbing on you" Agatha teased, Nerida rolled her eyes.

"They have, I hate it, I outgrew the teenage years a while ago, but it still happens!" Nerida exclaimed, Agatha laughed.

Both girls exited the bathroom, Agatha was dressed up and ready to go, while Nerida carried Agatha's nightgown in her hands.

"All yours" Nerida said to Tedros, he laughed at that. Nerida folded the nightgown neatly and placed it under Agatha's pillow. She then bowed and left.

"Ready?" Tedros asked Agatha, she nodded.

Then they both left for the Great Hall.

"So she pretty much filled you in on the family drama?" Tedros asked while eating, Agatha nodded.

"Yeah, apparently no marriage starts very happily…except for Nerida's" Agatha replied.

"I would agree…we would both know about that…" Tedros said, Agatha nodded. Their beginning had been pretty…lousy.

" _We've come so far_ …" Agatha thought, she then looked at Tedros, who was quietly eating.

"Can you believe the coronation is in less than a week?" Tedros said, interrupting Agatha's thoughts.

"It is? Ah crap" Agatha cursed, "What day is today anyways?' She asked, she had a tendency to never really know what day it was, especially since nobles seemed to used days before big events rather than actual days.

"Today is the 19th …wait a second…" Tedros said as both of them widened their eyes. They had been married for a month today….

"A month? Already?" Agatha said in disbelief, there was no way it had already been a month. It felt as if it had only been like two weeks, maybe three, but not a whole month!

"So, I guess that makes it an…anniversary" Tedros managed to say, Agatha nodded silently, looking away.

"How pathetic does this makes us? We forgot our own anniversary" Tedros verbalized

"Well, there's a lot going on around us" Agatha reasoned, justifying their situation.

"Okay, we'll get it right next month… hopefully" Tedros snickered, Agatha giggled.

"How romantic…" Agatha said sarcastically.

They finished their breakfast shortly after that, still in disbelief at this whole failed anniversary.

"Oh, well, I am actually picking your crown today" Tedros announced, Agatha glanced at him.

"Really?" She asked, he nodded.

"Yeah, I get to pick out of three. You still don't really care?" He inquired, she shook he head.

"Just pick any, they all look the same" Agatha said indifferently, "I'll see you around…" She then started walking away, until Tedros called after her. She then turned around and walked back to him.

"Yes?" She asked, he grinned at her and kissed her cheek. Agatha blushed bright red.

"Just that, I'll see you later" Tedros grinned stupidly at her and then walked in the opposite direction of her; leaving Agatha dumbstruck in place, why had he done that? That was uncalled for. Arietta's ramblings were starting to make more sense by each passing day…she then shook her head and headed for her old room, still thunderstruck at the past occurrence.

She smiled giddily at herself. That fool was really growing on her. And to think she once hated him.

Was this what all the characters felt in those sappy novels Sophie read?

Agatha found her old chambers quickly, it was the only room she could always find. She opened the doors to find Arietta sweeping and Nerida organizing her tools for cutting hair.

"Agatha, hi" Nerida greeted cordially, Arietta turned around and gave an uncharacteristic wave.

"Hi, am I getting my haircut? And my nails?" Agatha asked, they nodded. Nerida told her to seat at her old desk, Arietta took out a few utensil out of Nerida's box, including a clipper and a bottle of dark red nail polish.

"How was breakfast?" Nerida asked, Agatha tried not to smile.

"Good" She said curtly, her lips still tugging upwards. Arietta sat on the floor and started filing her nails.

"Arietta, is there something wrong?" Agatha asked, usually Arietta was practically bouncing of the walls; today she hadn't even said a word.

"Everything, everything it's wrong!" She cried melodramatically, Nerida sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Arietta, you make it seem like you're dying" Nerida said, annoyed at Arietta's childish behavior

"Oh, you don't understand! You're marrying your childhood sweetheart, but me? I am stuck with a jerk!" Arietta exclaimed, Agatha observed quietly the exchange while Nerida brushed her hair. Arietta did tend to be _too_ dramatic at times

"Is this the Xalvador thing?" Agatha asked, Nerida sighed again and nodded, holding her temples.

"Yes! You don't understand, I cannot stand the sight of his vile self! Always thinking he's the Eighth wonder of the world. God, why does he even like me? And now? We are ought to supposedly marry! My whole life with him, sharing a room, a bed, _having children_. I just can't!" Arietta shuddered

"Oh, I can't even imagine" Agatha retorted, thinking of her own situation, Arietta's eyes filled with shame.

"Oh, I am so sorry! Of course you can." Arietta apologized, deeply ashamed.

"It's alright', Agatha said, 'would it cheer you up to meddle in my love life?"

"Well, when you put it that way…but I would' Arietta said unabashed, Agatha smiled at her.

"Let's just say…I was wrong, Tedros…he's pretty wonderful, at times" She said, blushing at that. Arietta smiled

"Tell us" She inched closer, Agatha rolled her eyes.

"Is just a general opinion, is not like anything happened" Agatha said quietly, Arietta squealed.

"Yes! See, I told you, you guys will be fine. In like a month you'll already be saying 'I love you's' to each other. Would you say you love him?" Arietta asked. Agatha pondered, did she? She always got that fluttery feeling around him, her heart always raced when he held her hand. She loved how much of a normal boy he was when he was around her, she loved it when he teased her with his cockiness, because she knew he was more than just a prince.

"I…don't know, maybe not necessarily loving, that's a really big word" Agatha admitted shyly, Arietta and Nerida squealed excitedly.

"Would you say infatuation is the right word?" Arietta asked, Agatha pondered again

"I guess it is, I mean, I don't really know… but I think I might be falling in love" Agatha admitted quietly.

Both maids widened their eyes. Then they both squealed loudly. Arietta was now bouncing of the walls, like she usually was.

"This is great, Agatha!" Nerida exclaimed, Arietta clapped her hands.

"So my advice _does_ work!" Arietta winked at Agatha, the latter rolled her eyes.

"If only she followed it…." Nerida muttered dryly, Arietta glared at her.

"What a party pooper" Arietta retorted in a child-like manner.

"I'm sorry! But you guys would be so adorable! He really, really loves you Arietta. Please, at least give him a chance. He's my brother, he has told me how much he wishes he wasn't so idiotic and could actually talk to you without being a jerk. Please, do it for me, I'm your best friend." Nerida pleaded, Arietta's hard gaze softened just a bit.

'When I see his reaction at the altar, I'll see," Arietta concluded, "I'll try." Nerida sighed in relief

"Thank you" She said, Arietta nodded, a trace of irritation still visible on her features.

"But going back to the really important stuff," Arietta looked at Agatha, "do you think Tedros is in love with you? Or is it just infatuation?"

Agatha fidgeted, she realized how ignorant she was in the subject of feelings.

"I, I don't know. For all that we know, maybe is just infatuation, that makes more sense" Agatha reasoned, again, she was rather pathetic when it came to feelings.

"Well, we would love to give you love advice, but as you can see, our love lives are rather lame, especially mine" Arietta commented, Nerida rolled her eyes at that.

"Your time will come, Arietta," Nerida said, while trimming Agatha's hair, "you just have to relax. Besides, is not like Xalvador is that bad…and I'm his sister" Nerida assured, Arietta rolled her eyes at her, but made no comment.

The trio kept talking until Agatha's nails were dry and her hair was done. Agatha got to hear even more of Arietta's complaints about Xalvador, Nerida also marveled at Agatha's long hair, and she then went on to talk about her upcoming wedding.

"Well, so far, Arietta says she'll do my dress, and we're thinking of a place in the church we usually go to, other than that, everything else is really messy" Nerida confessed.

"When is the wedding?" Agatha asked.

"November 22nd, so we still have six months," Nerida replied, Agatha nodded in understanding

"She says I get to hand the ring to the priest; I've been appointed" Arietta commented giddily.

"I'm guessing I'll be invited, right?" Agatha inquired, Nerida rolled her eyes.

"Of course, silly. Not only you invited us to ours, but you're my friend" Nerida replied matter-of-factly.

"You know what is really weird?" Arietta asked, they shook their heads, "By that time, you'll be queen, so Nerida will be inviting _royalty_ to her wedding. For us of course, you're just Agatha, but for their families, you'll be their monarch." Agatha's eyes widened. She was right, by that time, she'll be queen, and queens never show up to some maid's wedding.

"And you'll also bring Tedros, which will cause more scandal. Well, if you went alone would be more suspicious, actually" Nerida pointed out, Agatha nodded.

"Your coronation is in five days oh my God! I already want to see what you crown will look like" Arietta gushed, Agatha rolled her eyes.

"Tedros said he would be picking out the crown today, so he'll probably fill me in that" Agatha commented. The maids then went on to show their excitement and discussed how the crown may look, Agatha didn't really talk much about that subject.

Nerida then handed Agatha a mirror to check her hair. Agatha looked at it, her hair was still past her shoulders, but it was shorter, Nerida had just trimmed her tips; she had done a good job. She guessed she now looked like a full, real life princess.

" _You are"_ She reminded herself, and even though the thought scared her, she smiled at her reflection.

Tedros knew Agatha said she didn't care about what the crown looked like, but he still worried about what she would think. In a way, it was a gift to her, so he wanted to make it special…not that he would say that to anybody.

He and his father were in the first floor of the castle, they were heading to the jeweler's workshop. The jewelers were workers that were regarded of very highly, after all, they made the royals their rings, necklaces, bracelets and crowns. His father said they jeweler had been doing the family's jewelry for three decades, yet Tedros had never even seen this guy.

The workshop was as messy as any other workshop, but it was somewhat fancier than others. They didn't even call it workshop, they called it the 'atelier', as if to denote it was a higher worker. Drawings were all over the tables, the walls were a deep shade of red, and they had glass cases in some tables. At last, a guy in his 50's came out of a room, he had light brown breeches, a white shirt and a brown vest. He had white hair and a mustache.

"Your Majesty! Your Highness" He exclaimed, he then bowed at the sight of them.

"Hello, Frank, we're here for the crown," Arthur announced, Frank nodded quickly and turned around.

"Follow me," Frank requested, the two of them followed the jeweler. He led them to a smaller room, where three glass cases laid. Tedros wanted to see them, but Frank blocked his sight.

"Now, what is your wife's name? I know is something with an 'A'" Frank asked Tedros, he still couldn't believe Agatha was his wife, so hearing it that way, it was still hard to believe.

"Agatha" He replied, Frank nodded.

"What is she like?" Frank inquired, Tedros pondered for a minute.

"Well, she is actually really nice, and she is sort of easy going, she says she doesn't really care what the crown looks like," Tedros explained, while silently thinking how perfect Agatha is.

"Really? You've got yourself an easy path! A lot of princes come in saying their wife didn't find the diamond big enough!" Frank commented.

"Yeah…she's different," Tedros stated, mostly to himself.

"Well, let's get to it," Frank decided to finally move, and Tedros got to see three different crowns.

The first one was a golden one, it had many diamonds encrusted in it, as well as a central heart-shaped ruby atop of it.

" _Not bad, but I don't think she's into hearts."_ Tedros thought, he then went on to the second one.

The second one was a silver color, it was really simple, with just diamonds and many 'twists' to it, it was quite alluring. Tedros just decided to move on to the third one.

The third one was also made of silver, it had diamonds and several big sapphires. Tedros didn't know much about crowns, but this one was amazingly fascinating. He took of the glass case and held it, the diamonds caught the light and shone brightly.

"This is it," He breathed, "this is the one"` Frank and Arthur smiled approvingly at Tedros.

"Excellent choice!" Frank exclaimed, he then took it from Tedros' hands and placed it in the case.

"Well, she'll be wearing it in less than a week, and you will be wearing mine. Wow, time does flies," Arthur thought out loud, Tedros nodded.

"You two can go if you please." Frank assured, Arthur and Tedros bid their goodbyes and left.

He had picked the crown, all he had to do was wait and hope Agatha would like it.

The rest of the day had been like any other day for Agatha; History lessons, studying, spare time, and then going to dinner. She and Tedros had had a meeting to discuss coronation issues and what would happen after that, oh, and to make matters worse, the subject of the heir was brought up; needless to say, it was an unpleasant happening; just like any other meeting. Apparently, royals enjoyed making them miserable.

By the time the two were in their chambers, they were grateful the day was over. Especially when Agatha was out of the blasted corset in her comfy nightgown. Some considered it improper for women to wear sleeveless nightgowns, but it had been hotter lately, so Agatha asked Arietta is she could make her a shorter and sleeveless gown. Tedros raised his eyebrows when he saw it, but made no comment; not that he should've, anyways, since he had been sleeping shirtless for the past days, for the same reasons. Agatha attributed it to his need to show off.

She flopped down to the bed.

"I am so glad this day is over," She mumbled, thinking about that cursed meeting.

"Why?" Tedros asked her, Agatha looked at him.

"I'm just really tired, and after that meeting…" She explained, Tedros nodded his head.

"I know, I have to apologize for all the innuendos those guys said/" Tedros admitted.

"Don't even get me started on that…" Agatha groaned.

"But that, fortunately, is over," Tedros concluded, Agatha agreed. A moment of silence passed through the room, until Tedros broke it:

"I picked your crown today" He announced, Agatha raised her eyebrow.

"Did you?" She asked, he nodded, "Can you tell me what is it like?" Tedros grinned at her.

"You'll have to wait" He said sneakily, Agatha rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I think I might go to sleep, or maybe I'll just lay here thinking." Agatha commented

"Thinking about what?" Tedros asked, just as he got into bed and pulled the covers.

"Everything, well, mostly about Saturday…are you seriously going to sleep shirtless again?" Agatha asked, trying not to look at Tedros' chest

"What? It's hot!" Tedros defended himself, Agatha just rolled her eyes again.

"And then you ask if my plan is to seduce you by asking for help with the corset." She responded dryly.

"That wasn't meant to be taken that seriously!" He cried, Agatha rolled her eyes.

"You say it's because it's hotter, I say you just want to show off." She retorted, Tedros quirked an eyebrow at her

"When you say, 'show off', are you implying that you find me attractive?" Tedros smirked.

"….no…." Agatha replied, even though her cheeks had a pink tint to them.

"Not that I blame you, of course" Tedros said cockily, Agatha glared at him.

"Why do I even talk to you?"

"Because I'm both a pleasure to talk to and to look at" Agatha hit him with a pillow, Tedros laughed at that moment.

"You think…" Agatha muttered, Tedros raised his eyebrow, but remained quiet for a moment.

"…Agatha, do you somewhat like me?" The question took her off guard, that was a really quick change of atmosphere.

"Define 'like'" Agatha said, trying not to sound stupid when she replied.

"In a friendly way at least" Tedros explained, Agatha nodded.

"Yeah, I do, why you ask?" she inquired, full of curiosity.

"I was just wondering" He shrugged, Agatha looked at him for a second, she then moved her eyes to somewhere else.

"You know, that was kind of a silly question, of course I like you, if I didn't I would be much more hostile," Agatha assured, "besides, you're not that bad" She gave him a little smile, which he returned.

"I just wanted to be sure….because I like being with you…" Tedros admitted, looking in the distance, Agatha found his hand and held it in hers, Tedros looked at her, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"I know it might not always look like it, but I am glad to be your wife" Agatha confessed, looking straight into Tedros' eyes. He still looked surprise, but he held her hand tighter.

He then pulled her closer and hugged her; Agatha's eyes widened. She didn't flinch, but momentarily froze at the sudden contact. She blushed, she could feel the warmth rising to her cheeks, but she eventually hugged him back, snaking her hands through his bare back.

"I am so glad I have you" He whispered, Agatha hugged him tighter.

And in that moment, she realized she loved him. She realized she didn't want to live without him. She realized she needed him.

She realized she loved him more than she ever thought it was possible; and she hoped he returned the feeling.

" _I love you Tedros, I love you so much"_ she thought, not having the courage to speak those words.

.


	19. The day before the coronation

**SwanDestiny: Welcome to Tagatha central guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I actually did more than add little paragraphs here - I added a whole mini-scene! Or was it more than that... Whatever. I also added the beloved ending to this chapter as well, so go ahead and read this amazing chapter!**

 **Bandidaciega: As you see, SwanDestiny is back this week! Also, please check out my other fanfic!**

 **Enjoy!**

Much to Agatha's dismay, the days went by fairly quickly, and as if she had blinked, there was only one day left for the coronation. Unlike the wedding, she did remember this time. Maybe it was better when she felt like an eternity until the final day, but the cornation seemed so looming like impending doom... Or at least, that's what Agatha thought of it as. For the past few days, she and Tedros had been to so many coronation related things that she was sick of the word. A part of her wanted to get this done once and for all, and another part of her didn't want tomorrow to arrive. Everybody was excitedly chatting about the event, after all, not every day someone went from a peasant to a queen.

Agatha sighed whenever she heard whispers in the hall about the 'commoner queen'. It made her worry too. She discovered that royalty isn't something that you can toss around and play with - it was seriously hard work. It wasn't fancy dresses and golden goblets. Royalty is about making a desicion for the country, and the country always comes first, even if you have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

That's also what she got from Tedros. For the past few nights, they talked to each other when they couldn't fall asleep. Tedros shared almost every single detail of his life at this point. How much royalty can change you, how different you become from the rest of the people, like you're in your own seperate world... And he also mentioned Guinevere once, but almost shut up immediately. What if she became like Guinevere? Could it really happen?

Everything was stressful. Even Arietta and Nerida weren't around much anymore, and things were really hard on them as well.

Every servant in the castle seemed to be contributing for the coronation; since there was going to be a ball, there was a lot of preparing to do. Even Nerida and Arietta needed to help set up the huge ballroom. Both had complained about the work load, especially since it wasn't even added to their salary.

"It's not even fair, we worked for two hours, making sure every single ornament looked perfect, and it all looks gorgeous! But no-o," Arietta stretched out the word 'no'. "You know how picky was our 'overseer'?" Arietta complained once while she had been doing Agatha's hair while Nerida did her makeup.

"So you're saying you didn't even get paid for labor that you shouldn't even be doing?" Agatha asked the maids.

"Well, we got a very minimal payment, extremely minimal." Nerida explained.

"That's not even right," Agatha declared. She had always opposed how nobility treated their servants, and Arietta and Nerida were living witnesses of very poor treatment.

This was one of the few rare moments that Arietta and Nerida were even around to talk with her - and did it do a lot of good to her. Agatha almost forgot all of her worries about the cornation. Almost.

Agatha stared at Arietta and Nerida for a moment, before her hand subconsciously went to two pins that were in her hair. They deserved so much, yet they maids, and rank so low in society... Agatha silently took the two pins out of hair, and glanced at them for a minute before tucking them away somewhere.

"Well, we're invited to the ball…we are, right?" Arietta confirmed, looking at Agatha, Agatha nodded.

"Are you nervous for tomorrow?" Nerida asked Agatha, she nodded.

"It's like ten times worse than it was for the wedding," Agatha confessed.

"You'll survive tomorrow, I mean, you survived your wedding, didn't you?" Arietta assured.

"Well, yes, but….still, what if I end up being a terrible queen?" Agatha thought out loud, that had always been her main worry.

"Trust me, after our last queen, as long as you stay in the throne loyally, people will like you. Besides, queens usually don't do nearly as much as kings, so if royalty messes up, it'll be on Tedros. It's all about devotion, commitment, and unwavering, steadfast loyalty," Arietta guaranteed her, it didn't completely relief Agatha, but it did help a little bit.

"Arietta does have a point, after Guinevere left, I don't even think people wanted a queen anymore; but you sort of restored their hope." Nerida reveled, Agatha raised her eyebrows.

Like a beacon of light. Was that really her? Agatha herself?

"How? People hasn't even seen me in public!" Agatha exclaimed, Arietta shrugged.

"Rumors, Agatha, rumors," Nerida told her, "As maids, we get the gossip from foreign visitors."

This instantly piqued Agatha's curiousity. Rumors? About her? She really needed to know what they were about!

"Like what rumors?"

"Oh you know, how in love you and Tedros looked on your wedding day and all that stuffm" Arietta said casually.

"Oh, that makes sense, I mean, sense for royalty," Agatha replied, the maids nodded.

"You know, at least you didn't stress eat today, unlike before the wedding," Nerida pointed out, Agatha nodded.

Stress eating, huh? Did she already lose that habit? Then again, she lost a lot of her old habits. Nerida and Arietta told her she used to stumble around the castle, and now she was graceful like a swan. Of course, Agatha didn't believe them. Then again, she sort of got used to the castle... Sort of... Royalty can really change someone, couldn't it? She was royalty now, and she used to just be a commoner.

"So, you really think people has that low of expectations? Regarding me, I mean?" Agatha asked the maids.

"Oh yeah! I literally heard people say that many years ago; right after Guinevere left," Nerida said, she then paused, and spoke again. "…She was really nice, too bad she left like that."

"Was she?" Agatha didn't hear anything about the former queen, she wasn't even a ghost, it was as if she had never existed. Almost as if she was erased from the kingdom's history!

"Oh yeah! She was very considerate of her servants; I don't even know she married Arthur, he didn't deserve her," Nerida argued, Agatha raised her eyebrows.

"Slander!" Arietta let out a gasp, but she grinned.

"What? I know what I'm talking about!" Nerida argued

"Oh, the so wise and mature Nerida has spoken," Arietta mocked, Nerida shot her a glare.

Agatha threw back her head and laughed. It's been some time a smile managed to break through her dull world. Agatha looked at her friends. They weren't just her maids - they were two unique individuals, both who Agatha is very lucky to come upon.

"You really don't know anything about him…" Nerida whispered mysteriously, she then shared a look with Arietta. Agatha got a feeling there was a secret nobody was telling her…and that bothered her.

"What is going on?" She asked, eyebrows raised. Arietta shared another look with Nerida.

"Well….I bet you've heard complaints about Arthur's reign…but nobody dares to say he's a drunkard…" Arietta gossiped, Agatha widened her eyes.

Wait. Didn't Tedros say something about this? Agatha racked her mind for any fuzzy memories that her mind may have stored away.

"Yeah, a really heavy drinker; everybody knows about it, but at the same time, nobody talks about it," Nerida whispered, as if afraid of being heard.

"Well, I wished I could say I knew that… I think Tedros actually said this, but just now I'm reminded of what he told me," Agatha replied, still in mild shock.

"Yeah, and he also holds prejudice against people of lower status, meaning, us," Arietta commented, a little aversion in her tone.

"Really?" Agatha asked in a shocked tone. They nodded.

"Oh yeah! He's a real jerk," Nerida revealed.

The great King Arthur, a hero to all the lands. Was that 'hero' just a lie? Or did he fall so beneath his former self when he became to drunk to care?

"This information would have been useful like a month ago, you know?" Agatha retorted, both maids blushed.

"Well…we wanted to get to know you!" Arietta justified herself.

"Yeah, we didn't want to make it more miserable than it looked like," Nerida explained, Agatha sighed.

"It's alright," Agatha replied.

She thought about when she arrived; she was dirty and her clothes looked terrible, she looked like the peasant she was. She thought Arthur had been so nice and…oddly accepting. What a load of crap. He just smiled so his son could have his wife. Tristan and Chaddick must have gotten in so much trouble after that…

Agatha suddenly noticed that Arietta was tuggin really hard at her hair, and it made Agatha really uncomfortable. After letting out a shriek and Arietta sending her an apologetic look, Agatha just shook her head and sighed to herself.

"Arietta, what are you doing with my hair?" Agatha inquired.

"An updo…do you mind if I just leave it down?" Arietta replied, leaving Agatha's hair alone.

"Yeah, better for me, actually" Agatha answered.

"Well, for tomorrow, we'll be meeting here. We'll wake you up at about seven, and we'll start at seven thirty. The coronation is scheduled at 4, we'll have plenty of time to fix you up. Arietta and I will take care of you, obviously, but we also requested help from Tatiana and Emmeline, since they helped for the wedding. We might have to divide ourselves, since we also need to get Sophie ready," Nerida explained, Agatha nodded.

"Why are we starting so soon?" Agatha whined, Arietta patted her shoulder.

"Because, you need to look stunning, and that requires time," Nerida replied calmly. Agatha still groaned.

"Do I ever look stunning?"

"Yes, when we do our job, which is always." Arietta smiled and high fived Nerida.

The maids laughed at Agatha's annoyance, Agatha rolled her eyes, just like she always did.

"Hey," Agatha called to Arietta and Nerida, holding out her hand. There in her hand, were the pins she took out of her hair earlier. One had a sparkling green emerald on a pin made of gold, while the other pin had a sapphire and was made of platinum.

Arietta and Nerida both seemed to be holding their breaths as Agatha announced to them. "This is a gift to the two of you. Since you don't get the credit for the hard work you deserve, this should make up for it. And it's not just for that, it's a present because I'm so thankful for having you two as my friends."

Arietta and Nerida hesitantly reached out to take a pin. Nerida taking the sapphire, and Arietta taking the emerald.

"Are you sure?..." Nerida questioned Agatha.

Agatha nodded. "Of course."

It was silent for a moment, and Agatha wondered to herself if she has done the right thing.

"Thank you!" Arietta suddenly exclaimed, hurling herself towards Agatha in a giant hug. Nerida took Agatha's hand and gave her a smile. Agatha never has seen Arietta and Nerida like this before (maybe except Nerida on her wedding day). She may have changed a lot, but through that change, good was brought upon her, and she discovered a new type of friendship and laughter.

"And that's why I hate big, fancy events," Agatha finished, feeling quite proud of her rant while Sophie just raised her eyebrows.

Agatha and Sophie were outside the castle walls and in the gardens, sitting next to a fountain. The scent of the flowers wafted around Agatha's nose, and she wondered again why she came here out of all the places. And if she was here with Tedros instead of Sophie...

"Stop thinking, Agatha," She commanded herself, trying to hide her red face. "Don't think about that!"

When Agatha came to talk to Sophie, Sophie usually had some gossip she had heard. They probably talked for a long time: It was a way to kill time, and it was entertaining. Agatha came to vent out to Sophie, but Sophie had received her with excitement over tomorrow, just as expected.

"Because it takes forever to get ready?" Sophie asked, filing her nails while he waited for Agatha's response.

"Well, it's one of the main reasons," Agatha replied. "You know I don't like any of that."

"True. You need to take time to become fabulous though. Do you think the maids that dressed us up for the wedding will help us with the cornation."

"I'm not sure, probably they will. Ugh, tomorrow it's going to be such a long day," Agatha groaned, Sophie looked up from her nails.

"You know, I should be preparing for this event myself. But being the princess' best friend has it's peaks," Sophie laughed, before she inquired. "Aren't you excited? Not even a little bit?"

"Not really, I'm just anxious," Agatha admitted. She had been anxious since she came here.

"Well, I think you're going to be alright. I am excited, a coronation means a ball, and a ball means meeting people, and you know what that means," Sophie winked, Agatha sighed.

Sophie's biggest dream was to become royalty. She claimed that it was 'in herself, ever since she was born'. Agatha still wondered why Chaddick and Tristan would choose her over Sophie, but after a while, Agatha learned to appreciate it. Even if Tedros came off as a jerk before... She... loved him. Agatha blushed at the thought, but snapped herself back to reality and to the conversation.

"Still hoping to marry a prince?" Agatha asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well, yes! I refuse to marry anybody from Gavaldon," Sophie paused to shudder. "I am so much fitted for a prince than for some, some…merchant for example. Besides, at this age, don't you think my dad is going to start worrying about that? Technically, marrying age it's about 15, so I'm at the right spot in my life," Sophie ranted, Agatha sighed again.

"Alright, alright. Geez, it feels everybody is marrying…" Agatha thought out loud.

"I know! I saw Nerida's ring! That was a pretty ring, too. So I asked her who it was and when was the wedding, you know, basic stuff," Sophie told casually.

"Yeah, see, she's 23, and here you are, rushing to get married." Agatha verbalized, Sophie raised her eyebrows.

"She's 23? She looks younger than that…what's her secret? I need to ask her later…" Sophie muttered. "Anyways, I need to see what I'm going to wear tomorrow. I'm thinking of something red, I think that'll do.

"Yeah, probably. I don't even know what I'm wearing, probably some torturous dress," Agatha thought out loud, thinking about tomorrow's preparations…she could skip that. She could skip the whole day.

"Well, obviously. You're not going to wear pants! Oh, are you going to get the portrait painted tomorrow? Because, wouldn't that interfere with the ball?" Sophie asked, Agatha put her head against a pillow and groaned.

"I don't know… they waste too much time with useless chattering," Agatha complained, referring to the nobles and their obnoxious protocols.

"If so, what if they postpone the ball? That would be a bummer…well, I guess the portrait must be so tedious," Sophie commented, and finally, Agatha could agree with her.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I prefer the ball over the portrait…what it's wrong with me?" Agatha asked, Sophie laughed.

"Who are you and what did you did to Agatha?" Sophie asked with mocked horror, and even though she was kidding, Agatha felt there was some truth in that question.

She obviously wasn't the same Agatha that left Gavaldon. Her manners, her looks, her habits had changed, everything had changed for her to get used to Camelot. And if that wasn't slightly scary, she didn't know what it was. The Agatha that left Gavaldon was grubby, shifty, and plain ordinary. Now she was a princess, an image of hope for a kingdom. She became so much more, and no longer was just 'Agatha'.

"I ask myself the same," Agatha stated, Sophie raised her eyebrows again.

"Do you?"

"…Yes, I mean, look at me, I think is a fair question to ask," Agatha confessed, Sophie remained silent for a moment.

"Well, the important thing is that you're still my best friend, and that won't ever change," Sophie smiled at Agatha, and Agatha returned the smile.

"After this, how long do you think you're staying?" Agatha asked, Sophie shrugged.

"I don't know, but I don't think it'll be long, though," Sophie murmured, Agatha knew they had a long time here, but she didn't want them leaving.

"That's a pity…I'll miss you…" Agatha confessed, Sophie nodded.

"I know…me too…but meanwhile, we need to enjoy my time here, so enough of this gloomy atmosphere!" Sophie declared, Agatha smiled weakly.

"Fine, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know! Something better than moping around…" Sophie decided.

"I can settle for talking," Agatha said.

"Hmm, can I do your hair?"

Agatha sighed, "Sure,"

Sophie grinned wickedly, Agatha frowned. She didn't know if she could trust Sophie. Every time she tried to do some beauty thing on her, it backfired. Agatha just hoped she wouldn't end up tangling her hair in a giant knot. When Agatha's skin was still oily and full of dirt, Sophie tried using a mask made of 'natural herbs' on her. It didn't end up well... Agatha shuddered just thinking about it.

Sophie did not tangle her hair, in fact, she actually did a pretty good job. She just did a simple updo, but Agatha had to admit it looked good.

"Look," Agatha pointed at the darkening sky and the trail of gold that the sun left behind as it dipped itself beneath the horizion. "It's getting pretty late. I guess it's time for me to go..."

Sophie pouted. "Already? Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck!"

Agatha gave her best friend one more smile before heading off to the castle.

Since tomorrow was the coronation, Sader gave her the day off, saying it would be better for her. At least someone understood her nerves…

Even though Agatha feared getting lost, she liked walking around aimlessly. When you live in a castle, there's always something new to see. One time, she discovered they had a pool in the first floor; she didn't know how she got there, but she had to admit it was a nice place. And she also found the library by walking around, so it wasn't that bad.

Since she had more spare time than usual, she decided to go to talk to her mother. She usually checked on her too see how she was doing. Apparently, Callis had discovered there were some convalescent royals, so she offered to see them, since she was a healer. Turns out, they ended up paying her.

"Those royals were generous," She told Agatha once, holding a bag of golden pieces.

Agatha knocked on her door, she waited for her mother to come out. Callis opened the door and greeted her.

"Hello, Agatha. Come in."

Agatha stepped into her room, "Hello, mother."

She seated herself on a stool that was placed in the middle of the room. The room was a burgundy color, and it was smaller than other rooms Agatha had previously seen.

"I just wanted to come here and talk to you," Agatha explained, Callis just sat at the edge of her bed.

"You know, you don't need to tell me why you came. Is it about tomorrow?" Agatha nodded.

Agatha was dreading the cornation so much, even more than she was nervous for the wedding. Trepidation crawled over her skin like spiders every time Agatha even dared to think about the cornation, and the different possibilities that can come out of it... Not all of them being very good.

"I'm so nervous, what if I mess up in front of everybody else? That would be embarrassing…" Agatha said, her mother placed her bony hands on Agatha's shoulders.

"Agatha, I know you'll be fine. You made it this far, what's another step?" Callis said, Agatha nodded.

"I know, it's just… I don't know…it's natural, I guess…" Agatha sighed, Callis hesitated, but she spoke again.

"Look, when those guards came home and told me, I was extremely confused, but at the same time, I was terrified of letting you go. What if you were raided along the way? What if you had a terrible husband? What if you didn't survive the journey? What if you hated me? All those worries came through my mind."

"Wow, and you still let me go?" Agatha interrupted, Callis glared at her. She looked down.

"But I preferred to take that risk, because when they spoke, it seemed as if they could actually give you a better life. So that's why I agreed, so you could have more. That month, when I didn't hear about you, there was not a day I didn't worry, but all I could do was to hope for the best," Callis paused, "Agatha, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Are you happy? At least, happier than when you were in Gavaldon?" Callis asked, Agatha looked up. She nodded silently.

"Yes, I am. I am happier than what I expected to be," Agatha admitted, a smile tugging at her lips.

Just seeing the castle the first time made Agatha want to crawl up in a hole and die. And now she was in love with the person she supposedly hated the first time she met him.

"And also, does he treat you right?" Callis asked, Agatha knew she meant Tedros. She nodded again.

"Better than what I expected," Agatha paused, hesitating. "I... I love him."

Callis' eyes widened and with the shocked expression on her face, Agatha wasn't sure she said the right thing. Agatha quickly looked away. Then Callis spoke.

"Then I am very glad you're, happy and I am glad this was a good idea," Callis said, Agatha looked up.

"Me too…I love you mother," Callis pulled her in an embrace, and tears rolled from Agatha's eyes.

No matter what, her mother would always be there for her. She may have not known it before, but now she knew it, like it was a bold statement embedded into her mind. Through all situations and circumstances, she would always love her. Just the thought of her mother always being there with her made even more tears escape from her eyes.

She had never been more happy.

"I love you, too. I am so proud of you."

Agatha tried not to sob, but she failed to do so. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity.

During the evening, Agatha and Tedros were told to go meet with Arthur. Apparently, their portrait was going to be done the day after tomorrow; that way, they could have the Ball to celebrate. And also, they were going to be crowned in the church where they married. Then, they would walk out, as officials monarchs. Yay… Except not really.

Agatha stood at the balcony, the one at their room. She felt a cool breeze coming. She sighed; after tomorrow, there would be no turning back. She would be queen, and she would be one for a while. Agatha also worried about something going wrong; what if someone tried to assassinate them? She had heard those cases where kings died because they were murdered by rebels. What if she made a horrible mistake or be the cause of a war declared on Camelot? Will this ultimately lead her to her doom. Could she end up like... Guinevere?... She shook her head. She was overthinking, just like always.

Agatha stood there serenely, gazing up at the stars. She never knew the stars could be so... Reassuring. Soothing all of her thoughts away, forever twinkling like angels. Agatha like that until she heard footsteps. She glanced behind her to see it was Tedros. Then she turned her gaze back up to the cloudless night sky.

Tedros came and stood next to her, silently gazing somewhere. Neither said anything for a moment, as if appreciating the silence.

The night sky seemed like a beautiful painting, using the darkest tints of purple and blue to make something so impossibly beautiful. This night sky was shared between everyone... But right now, it felt like only she and Tedros were staring up at it's amazing wonders.

"It's a nice view up here…" Agatha murmured, Tedros nodded next to her.

"It is…" Agatha turned to look at him, he stood unmoving, his eyes still fixed on the sky.

"Are you nervous? About tomorrow?" Agatha asked quietly. Silence.

"…Yes..." Tedros replied, fidgeting on his spot.

"It's alright, I'm nervous as well," She heard Tedros sigh.

"I grew up always hearing about this day, always hearing about being a king…but now that it's here, it's kind of terrifying," Tedros confessed, looking over at Agatha.

"More like completely terrifying," Agatha corrected, Tedros smiled at that.

"Do you feel the need to maximize everything?" Tedros asked, Agatha rolled her eyes.

"Do you feel the need of ruining the moment?" Agatha retorted, Tedros grinned at her.

"Have I ever told you how amusing it is to be with you?" Agatha blushed at that, but looked away.

"No, but I wish I could say the same," She said, letting out a laugh. Tedros just smiled goofily at her.

"You look beautiful when you smile," Tedros commented, Agatha blushed bright red.

Beautiful? Her? Was he secretly drunk or something? Was he hallucinating out of stress? Agatha shook her head. When she was at Gavaldon, she was anything but beautiful.

"Me? No, I, I'm not beautiful…trust me..." She said quietly, Tedros snorted.

"Have you looked at looked at a mirror lately?" Tedros asked, "You're gorgeous…"

Then again, she was no longer in Gavaldon.

"You really think so?" Agatha asked quietly, still blushing. Tedros nodded, he cupped her face, and she blushed even more.

Tedros was definitely drunk. He would never do this. Nev-

"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," He breathed, Agatha forgot all of her thoughts with her heart was ready to explode in her chest. He caressed her face with his hand, staring at her brown eyes.

Agatha closed her eyes. Were they going to kiss?

And Tedros leaned in to close the gap.

Agatha never blushed so much, but she quickly lost herself in the kiss. Agatha's heart started to soar, and she felt herself become consumed by the waves of this kiss. A light shined on her, radiant, glowing, and beautiful. She was floating and flying in the air, and she was gliding on air. All of the thoughts in her head were completely wiped away, and all she could focus on was this amazing kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hand traveled to her waist. He kissed her eagerly, as if he had wanted to do this for a long time; and she returned it just as much, savoring this moment.

They were both craving for this to happen ever since they fell in love. Agatha was longing for Tedros, and Tedros was yearning for Agatha. They were finally together. Finally.

Their lips eventually parted, both of them completely out of breath. Agatha knew something could be so... magical. That was the only word that can describe that moment. Tedros pressed his forehead against hers, and he whispered:

"I love you, Agatha, I love you so much,"

Tears came to Agatha's eyes. Was this real, or was this just a dream? Yes, this was a dream. A dream Agatha didn't intend to follow from the start, but it was the best dream that could ever happen to her.

Agatha never believed in love. She never believed someone could love her. And now...

Agatha choked on her tears, before saying:

"I love you too, Tedros. I love you more than you'll ever know," Agatha whispered, before she broke into a sob. Tedros kissed the top of her head.

"I am so sorry for ever being a jerk to you, I was an idiot at that time,"

"You don't have to apologize, it's alright; I wasn't a pleasure either…" Agatha murmured, tightening her grip on Tedros' shoulders.

"I always knew I was going to get married, but I never imagined I was going to marry someone so kind and beautiful," Tedros said.

"You flatter me too much…" Agatha replied shyly, Tedros smiled at her.

"You deserve it," He whispered in her ear, sending a chill through Agatha's body.

"You're such a dork," Agatha smiled, and she kissed him, feeling the rush of exhileration run through her. She still couldn't believe she was doing this, and she couldn't believe it felt so good. She then broke apart, Tedros grinned at her.

"You made me all mushy and gross," Agatha murmured, Tedros' grin became wider.

"It was my pleasure," Agatha smiled stupidly at that, she then yawned.

"I am so tired, I think I'm going to sleep," Agatha yawned again. "Good night,"

"Wait" Tedros called after her, she then turned around, and Tedros picked her in one swift movement.

"What are you doing?" Agatha shouted, but giggling at the same time. "Put me down!"

"I just felt like doing this," Tedros said goofily, they both laughed stupidly and loudly. Tedros then dropped her on the bed, and then he laid next to her. Agatha was still smiling at Tedros.

"I really am glad I ended up here, with you," Agatha whispered, Tedros smiled at her.

"Me too," He replied, kissing her temple.

"I never even thought I would get married, but I did, and I'm happy I ended up with you," Agatha murmured.

"I knew I would have to, and I always dreaded the loveless marriage that was bound to come for me. I always wanted to fall in love, but I was always afraid it wouldn't happen, but it did…" Tedros confessed, still gazing at Agatha.

"I never believed in love until now," Agatha admitted quietly.

"Life's pretty ironic," Tedros murmured.

"It is," Agatha replied, she then kissed his cheek. "Good night,"

"Good night," Tedros said, kissing her forehead and wrapping his hands around Agatha in a tight embrace.

As the two of them were lulled to sleep by the soft singing of their hearts, they slowly drifted away to their own worlds.

All that was left of the night were the stars, the moon, and the sky


	20. Coronation: PART I

_Hello guys! I am back! I am so, so, so, sorry that I took so long to update, but school has been so stressful and exams are killing me! But, here it is! Like the wedding chapters, this will be divided in two chapters; preparations chapter(this), and the actual ceremony( next chapter)._

 _Please enjoy!_

* * *

The next day, Agatha didn't want to get up, not only because of the coronation, but because she was way too comfortable in Tedros' arms. He had his arms wrapped around her, and she laid on top of his chest. She sighed, she had never been happier in her life, she had never expected for someone to love her as much as he did, she had never expected to experience love in general. Agatha thought she would be miserable while being married, but right now, she was glad she couldn't have been more wrong.

Tedros' lids opened up slowly, only to see Agatha looking back at him. He gave her a small smile, which she returned shyly.

"Hi" She whispered, looking at his crystal blue eyes.

"Hi" He replied, while playing with her hair. Agatha blushed delicately.

"Can you believe we're cuddling and we didn't get into a fight?" Agatha asked, Tedros grinned.

"I'm glad we didn't," Tedros said, his grin wider now. "I'm honestly enjoying this"

"Me too" Agatha admitted, looking away from his eyes, but snuggling closer to him.

"I can't believe we're like this right now, I mean, I never expected everything would be so wonderful" Tedros said, Agatha nodded in agreement.

"I know, I never expected this to be the outcome…but it feels great" Agatha confessed, smiling at Tedros.

"It does" He replied, and he kissed her. Agatha didn't even react, she just kissed him back, as if it was an instinct. He kissed her softly at first, then he kissed her passionately, as if he had never kissed her before, as if he wanted to taste her lips even more. Agatha kissed him harder than she ever had done, as if she wasn't afraid anymore, as if to kiss him was addicting. Her lips parted from his, and she kept her forehead pressed to his.

"I love you" She whispered breathlessly, she saw a pink tint rise on Tedros' cheeks.

"I love you too" He replied, then he kissed her forehead.

"You really made me mushy and feely…" Agatha grinned, Tedros smiled.

"My pleasure, really" Tedros joked, Agatha rolled her eyes.

Unfortunately for both of them, they heard a knock in the door. They both groaned. They knew it was for Agatha to go; she knew they would be here at seven, she just hoped they wouldn't.

"Ugh, do I really need to go?" Agatha complained, not wanting to get up "Do you think they'll go away if we just stay here and don't say anything?"

"I wish they would" Tedros muttered, Agatha sighed.

"I'll get it" She groaned again, "I'll probably have to go now, I'll see you later" she untangled herself from Tedros' arms, but before she did, he kissed her hand.

"Have fun getting ready" Tedros joked, Agatha rolled her eyes

She got the door begrudgingly, only to see both Arietta and Nerida standing there.

"Hello, we're sorry to disturb you, but we need to get going" Nerida apologized, Agatha nodded.

"I know, do I need to take anything with me?" Agatha asked, both maids shook their heads.

"We have everything at your old room" Arietta explained, Agatha groaned again.

"Alright, let's get going" Agatha said, Arietta and Nerida grinned.

"Let's go then, we have a future queen to prepare!" Arietta exclaimed, Agatha smiled weakly at her enthusiasm.

When Agatha got to her old room, it was like the wedding day procedures, only this time it was much more important.

"Okay, here's your breakfast, I got it before getting you" Arietta said, handing her a tray with a bowl of oatmeal and fruit.

"After you eat, we'll start your bath, and yes, we will scrub you out of every single spot of dirt, just like we did for your wedding. I know it sounds like it's completely exaggerated, I know. This time we even got jewelry for you to wear, we have pendants from three generations ago, and" Nerida leaned in and whispered, "Arietta and I found a pearl necklace that belonged to Guinevere, and by 'found' it, it means we dug through old belongings of her they have banned." Agatha widened her eyes.

"Are you saying you, sort of looted for a necklace?" Agatha asked in disbelief, Arietta grinned.

"Well, all that jewelry they had was so not you, so Nerida and I decided to go to an old room that is forbidden, apparently, it's just an old room for belongings of previous monarchs, deceased, exiled, anything you can think of. So we found this little box, and Nerida went through it, and she recognized that necklace!" Arietta exclaimed.

"I thought it fitted your dress, and it's such a pretty necklace" Nerida said, "I'll go start your bath, be back soon" She excused herself and went to the bathroom.

"Are you sure you won't get in trouble for this?" Agatha inquired, frowning.

"Oh no! I mean, if we did, you could intercept for us, right?" Arietta asked her, Agatha pondered.

"I guess I could" Agatha assumed, then shrugged.

"There you go. So, how did you sleep? You know, with all this stress and stuff" Arietta inquired, Agatha blushed, thinking about the fact she had pretty much slept the whole night in Tedros' arms.

"I slept well, I would say…" Agatha replied, looking away. Arietta raised her eyebrows.

"Are you hiding something from me?" She asked, suspecting Agatha was.

"No! Why would I?" Agatha answered, still looking at the floor. Nerida returned in that moment, drying her hands in her skirt.

"What's going on?" Nerida asked

"Agatha is hiding something from us" Arietta replied, Agatha frowned

"I'm not!" She defended herself, but it was in vain.

"Ooh, what is it? Come on, is not like we're going to freak out" Nerida assured.

 _Yes you would, you would squeal so loudly you would leave me deaf._ Agatha thought

"It's nothing really" Agatha replied, putting her tray aside. The maids frowned.

"Is it something related with Tedros? What did he do?" Arietta asked, Agatha waved her off.

"Nothing, for the last time, it's nothing. Really" Agatha said, not wanting to admit how romantic and mush her life was at the moment.

"Alright" Nerida said, but still eyed her weirdly, "Oh yeah, my brother wants to meet you, he's going to be in charge of the guards today, so he wants to meet his queen, you know, talk to you and stuff" Agatha raised her eyebrows.

"Which one? Xalvador?" Nerida nodded, Arietta snorted.

"Who else?" Arietta sneered, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"So, he'll probably talk to you like and hour before the ceremony starts; he's so excited to meet you, it's hilarious" Nerida commented, Agatha raised her eyebrows.

"Why? There's nothing that exciting, really" Agatha replied. It was strange to think that people wanted to meet her, especially because she was going to be a queen. It was odd, but it was flattering.

"Well, there is" Arietta pointed out, "I mean, you are going to be the queen, and that's exciting for the majority of commoners like us"

"If you say so, but I still think I'm alright" Agatha replied, giving a shrug afterwards.

"Of course, but you know…" Nerida said, not needing to talk anymore, Agatha nodded.

"So I get to meet your brother today? I feel at some point I will just randomly pop into your house and just have dinner you guys' families" Agatha commented, Arietta and Nerida laughed.

"Probably, actually, it can happen any time now" Arietta laughed, Agatha smiled at them

"But anyways, I think you're ready for your bath, off you go" Nerida announced, leading Agatha into the bathroom.

"Do you really need to scrub my body as if I crawled on dirt?" Agatha complained

"Well…it does make you look cleaner than usual, not that you're oozing in dirt of course!" Arietta explained lamely, Agatha sighed.

"Just do it" Agatha let them help her out of her nightgown, eventually, Nerida washed her hair while Arietta scrubbed her arms and legs with a sponge. The bathroom now stank of a sweet scent of lavender mixed with vanilla, a smell so sweet it made Agatha dizzy.

When her bath was done, Arietta handed her a robe and Agatha put it on; Nerida dried Agatha's hair with a white towel, drying it as much as she could. They eventually sprayed some perfume on her, which was as cloying as the lavender that hung in the atmosphere.

"Is everything sweet in this bathroom?" Agatha asked, coughing.

"Sorry, this is the best we found," Nerida apologized, "apparently there was nothing better"

They took her back into her room, leaving the turquoise tiled bathroom. Arietta approached the old wooden closet, while Nerida started combing Agatha's hair, pulling out all the knots while Agatha yelped as she sat on the chair in front of her old desk.

"Sorry!" Nerida mumbled over and over. Arietta laid some undergarments on her bed, which also included a corset. Agatha had to resist the urge to groan at this obnoxious preparations.

"Well, we're not going to get you in your gown until about…maybe 1 in the afternoon, so we'll have plenty of time before that, which will be spent in your hair" Arietta announced, Agatha nodded.

"Did you make my dress again?" Agatha inquired, Arietta nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! It took forever, but it was _so_ worthy!" Arietta exclaimed, Agatha smiled at her earnest happiness.

"But anyways, we need to get your hair as dry as possible before we can even start doing something to it" Nerida chimed in.

"Yeah…we'll do your makeup and file your nails" Arietta decided.

"Oh, and pluck your eyebrows" Nerida remembered, Agatha winced. Plucking her eyebrows was at the Top 3 of least favorite things about fancy preparations.

"Do we need to?" Agatha asked, they nodded.

Arietta got Agatha into the undergarments, then proceeded to tie the corset, even though they still had plenty of time before she got into her actual gown. As Agatha winced and groaned in pain, Arietta's apologies multiplied. Eventually, she finished, leaving Agatha in the infernal death trap.

"I hate corsets so much" Agatha complained, Arietta nodded.

In that instant, they heard a knock on the door, Nerida stood up and got it. The doors opened, revealing the quartet of maids she had seen a month ago. They stepped in, yellow and blue skirts swinging, their hair in messy braids and pony tails, except for Arietta's and Nerida's, which was always loose.

"Agatha, you sure remember these ladies, right?" Nerida inquired, Agatha looked at them. Her faces were obviously easy to recognize, but she couldn't place their names correctly, she only remembered Emmeline, a brunette with black eyes and a smile on her face, and Tatiana, the tall blonde with a slightly bored expression. She then saw a short, plump red-haired girl, and a black haired girl with brown eyes and a small smile.

"Yeah…" Agatha said, embarrassed to admit she had forgotten their names.

"Well, let's see" Nerida tapped her chin, "Emmeline and Heloise, we'll take you. Margaret and Tatiana can go next doors to help Sophie. Go!" Nerida ordered, Tatiana and Margaret left, leaving Emmeline and Heloise standing there.

"What do we do?" Heloise asked, Arietta rose and approached her.

"I need you to do her nails, I'll go over to my room and get Agatha's dress. You guys get the work done while I'm gone" Arietta directed, the maids nodded and Arietta left the room hurriedly.

"Okay ladies, we have a princess to turn into a queen, let's get to work!" Nerida ordered, and each of them did something different:

Nerida brushed her hair to the point of almost perfection, Emmeline plucked her eyebrows, and Heloise filed her nails and eventually did her manicure. All of these would take forever, especially her hair. By the time Heloise was done with Agatha's nails, Emmeline and Nerida were working on Agatha's hair; they divided her hair and each of them worked on a section. Nerida was still trying to dry it completely, which failed, so she just started working on it when it was partially dry. She brushed it again, then finally got to where she wanted it.

Heloise then started doing Agatha's makeup; she applied powder to Agatha's pale face, then she painted her lips a deep shade of red, finally, she applied a very light blush on her cheeks.

"Nothing on the eyes, right?" Heloise asked, Nerida shook her head.

"You know what they say about eyeshadow…" Nerida said cryptically

"What do they say?" Agatha asked, confused. Nerida hesitated

"Only indecent women wear it…." Agatha then just nodded, ignoring any fashion statements Camelot or any other place had.

Arietta finally returned, holding a big golden box; her dress inside of it. Poor Arietta was so tired, she just dropped it inelegantly. She panted and sat on the edge of the bed.

"The dress is here! I nearly die carrying the box, but it's okay, the dress it's okay" She panted hard, but managed to smile weakly.

"Did you make sure you had the headpiece? As in, the whole headpiece?" Nerida asked Arietta, Arietta nodded, Agatha raised her eyebrows.

"What do you mean 'headpiece'?" Nerida shifted in her spot.

"Well….history lesson time! Since you're a married woman, you should wear headpieces when you go out, at least in really big, fancy events" Nerida explained, Agatha deadpanned.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked, incredulous. What was this mess? Why was that a thing?!

"Well…how much are you willing to hate royalty?" Arietta chimed in. Agatha frowned.

"Tell me it's not ridiculously obnoxious" Agatha sort of pleaded, Nerida shook her head.

"It's quite simple, miss" Emmeline spoke, "you'll see. It'll look nice, especially when they crown you"

"Oh yeah! Did you ever see your crown?" Heloise piped in curiously, Agatha shook her head.

"No, her dear husband chose it secretly" Arietta snickered, all the maids smiled.

"I thought you were about to pass out, I see you're fine" Agatha said dryly.

"Now I am" Arietta chirped, grinning from ear to ear, she then got up, opening the box where she had Agatha's dress.

"We still had a lot of time to go, Arietta" Heloise told her, Arietta waved her off.

"I know, but unlocking this can be tricky, so I might as well start now" Arietta replied, fumbling with the golden locks in the also golden box.

As time passed, the four maids fumbled over Agatha's hair, arguing over what to do with, until they just settled for something Heloise had suggested; neither Nerida nor Emmeline seemed to be too happy with the former's decision, but proceeded with it.

The maids worked on her hair for so long, Agatha was losing the sensation on her back; the hours passed, Emmeline said they were doing great, for it was only 11:00, which meant they still had plenty of time.

"We're doing splendid! We're almost done here, Agatha, after this, we'll start with the headpiece…that might take a while" Nerida announced, Agatha frowned.

"Of course…when are all of you going to get ready?" Agatha asked, she knew coronations were different from weddings; weddings were private and exclusive, coronations were public, the only privacy the even had was the ball, other than that, almost the whole kingdom could attend.

"When we are done with your hair, we'll fetch you your lunch; we all get a break, so we'll all help the other to get ready. You know, this time everything has taken more time, but since it is more important, you need to look better. We also need to get Tatiana and Margaret, and get all of our dresses." Nerida paused and sighed, "Thanks God we don't have such flashy dresses, or ostentatious hairstyles"

"Tell me about it" Agatha mumbled, Nerida laughed.

"How do you think they're doing with Sophie?" Arietta chirped in, she stood going through a silver jewelry box.

"They're probably still doing her hair; her hair takes _forever_ " Emmeline complained; she had done Sophie's hair for the wedding, she knew what she was talking about. The maids laughed, while Agatha cracked a smile.

"I'm glad I got Agatha this time, Tatiana must be suffering" Emmeline continued, while taking out a curler from Agatha's hair and inserting a bobby pin in it.

"Well, I can't say doing hair is the worst part of our job…" Heloise commented, all the maids agreed silently.

"What is the worst part of your job?" Agatha asked, feeling curious.

"The royals' attitudes" Arietta replied instantly

"Cleaning their obnoxious mess" Heloise said.

"Dressing and undressing them; that's awkward" Emmeline confessed.

"Definitely the low paid compared to the high demand" Nerida finally said; Agatha nodded. Royal members must be a pain for them, always bossing them around, and always taking advantage of their service.

"But anyways…I'll start getting the headpiece out of the box" Arietta informed, she walked over to the big, golden box; she took out a pale blue veil and a golden band; Agatha remained oblivious as to how it was worn, but decided not to fret over that matter right now.

"I think you can bring it over here" Heloise informed, Arietta stood and went behind Agatha. Now all four maids were working on her hair…royalty in a nutshell…

The maids pulled, combed, yelped, and argued, all while putting on the veil.

"It doesn't go like that! I've told you six times already" Arietta barked at Emmeline, the latter holding her hands in surrender.

"Fine! You do it! I'll got get her lunch, you figure out how it goes" Emmeline snapped, walked over to the doors and slammed them.

"Geez, too worked up over a veil, you guys" Nerida commented, fumbling with the veil.

"Well, I know how to put it on! Besides, it's more complicated than what it looks like" Arietta replied, "Heloise, you go to the front and fix Agatha's hair"

Heloise, Nerida and Arietta arduously tried to make the veil look good for a good ten minutes, until they finally reached an agreement of what to do.

"There! Now hand me the little golden circlet" Nerida requested, Heloise handed her the golden band, which apparently was called 'circlet'; it was golden, with diamonds encrusted on it.

The maids stepped back, gasping in awe, then they clapped.

"Congratulations to us" Arietta squealed excitedly, high-fiving Heloise.

"You look awesome!" Nerida exclaimed, Agatha smiled shyly at them.

In that moment, Emmeline came back carrying a tray with Agatha's lunch.

"Here you ar—wow! You guys did a great job with that obnoxious veil, kudos! You look lovely Agatha. Arietta, Nerida you guys can start changing, and I guess Heloise and I can as well" Emmeline handed Agatha the tray, she started eating, meanwhile, Arietta went through Agatha's old closet and got out four dresses.

As Agatha ate, the maids fumbled out of their matching uniforms, each helping the other with the process. The maids slipped on their dresses quickly, but they didn't tie them as quickly; Agatha was done eating when they were tying Emmeline's laces.

"Hurry up! We still need to get her dress on and retouch her makeup! And do our own hair…" Heloise reminded them

"It's still twelve, we still have like three hours and half; let's finish tying this, and then we'll at least brush our hair" Nerida offered, the maids nodded.

When they finished dressing each other up, they went back to Agatha; Heloise retouched her makeup carefully, applying her dark red lipstick on Agatha's lips, putting more powder on her face, and finishing with a tint of blush. Nerida then made sure Agatha's hair looked okay, she said it did.

"You didn't brush your hair, you guys can do that" Agatha told them, noticing they still had their hair in messy ponytails and tangled messes.

"Oh thanks!" Arietta cried, taking a hairbrush from Agatha's old bed; they all fixed their hair, two went to the bathroom, and the other two just used the mirror in the room. Arietta braided her hair, while Nerida put Heloise's hair in an updo, Emmeline simply let it loose, and finally, Nerida just braided a section of her hair, leaving the rest loose and flowing. The quartet too about an hour to get ready themselves, which still left Agatha a lot of extra time.

"Okay ladies, this is it; it's dress time" Arietta announced, she pulled the dress out of the box, revealing a dark navy blue gown.

"Let's do this" Emmeline said decidedly. Agatha stood from her former bed, dropping her bathrobe she had worn this whole time.

Nerida helped Arietta with the dress, then, Agatha slipped it on, while Emmeline tied the laces at the back, Heloise fixed it at the bottom and Arietta smoothed it with her dainty, freckled hands. As Emmeline finished tying the laces, the maids stepped back, all wanting to see Agatha from a distance. Fortunately, the response was indeed a positive one.

"You look _stunning_! I think I might cry" Arietta squealed, grinning from ear to ear.

"I am sure there has never been a queen as beautiful as you" Nerida assured, smiling at Agatha.

"Congratulations to us! Because this was no easy job" Heloise added, all the maids nodded and high fived each other.

Agatha stepped forward, approaching the mirror, eager to see her reflection. She was wearing a navy blue dress made out of silk, it had a pattern of golden swirls in the skirt, with a matching gold belt at the hips, as well as long sleeves made out of tulle. As for the veil, it was made out of a thin fabric, it revealed a little of Agatha's hair, but not much, and the circlet glistened brightly. She played with it, enjoying the feel of the fabric on her fingers.

Agatha felt as she did when she wore her wedding dress; more beautiful than she should feel, as if she wasn't deserving of such luxuries.

"You did an amazing job…" Agatha breathed, the maids squealed in response. Agatha smiled at them.

"Thank you" Emmeline said, smiling approvingly at Agatha.

"I say it's time for a group hug!" Arietta cried happily

"Guys, I really don't feel the—"But she was interrupted by four pairs of arms embracing her. Agatha laughed, feeling so loved she couldn't feel more grateful.

They broke apart, letting Agatha free from their grasp.

"Well, you all look really nice as well" Agatha complimented, receiving mixed reactions.

"Oh come on! This? This is nothing!" Heloise said, blushing at the compliment.

"Why thank you!" Arietta cried, fixing her lilac dress.

"I'm sure Xalvador will not mind the view" Nerida said cheekily, Arietta glared at her.

"Stop! Oh my God Nerida, you're so annoying!" Arietta exclaimed, making all of them laugh.

"Oh yeah! Agatha, after we escort you the keep, Xalvador will meet you there and introduce himself; Arietta and I will escort you, by the way" Nerida explained, Agatha nodded.

"When are we supposed to leave?" Agatha asked.

"At about 2:50 we should be leaving the room, which leaves us more than an hour. By 3 we should be at the keep, and by 3:30, you should be at the church" Nerida explained, Agatha nodded again.

"What church is it taking place at?" Heloise asked, fixing her hair.

"Just follow me, you'll be fine" Emmeline assured, Heloise nodded.

"Well, in about two hours, Agatha will be Queen Agatha, isn't it exciting?" Arietta asked, practically bouncing up the walls.

"I know! I get to see a coronation ceremony" Heloise piped up.

"Not really" Agatha added, the maids laughed.

"Oh Agatha, you'll be fine! Again, any crappy choice made is automatically blamed on Tedros" Arietta assured calmly.

"Poor Tedros" Nerida laughed joyfully.

"Oh yeah! How are you two? These two" Emmeline pointed at Nerida and Arietta, "never tell us anything!"

"Agatha doesn't tell us anything!" Arietta shot an accusatory glance at Agatha. The latter sighed.

"If I say we're openly in love will you leave me alone?" Agatha asked, four pairs of eyes widened.

"Are you completely serious? Or are you being sarcastic?" Arietta asked, looking at Agatha's eyes.

"…No…" Agatha admitted, looking at the carpet, which now looked so interesting. The next thing she knew, the room exploded in loud cheers.

"OHMYGODOHMYGODAREYOUSERIOUS?THISISGREATSHUTUP!" Arietta spoke so fast, Agatha didn't understand her.

"This is it, this is the best day ever" Heloise cheered.

"Is not that big of a deal…"Agatha said, blushing in embarrassment.

"Yes it is!" Nerida objected, "Against all adversity, against all doubts, you fell in love! This is the love story of the century!"

Agatha rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything; she let them hug her, she let them squeal. She then heard a knock on the door, this stopped the loud cheering.

"Come in!" Emmeline called. The doors opened, revealing Tatiana and Margaret, who respectively wore green and blue dresses. Sophie then stepped into the doors, wearing a magnificent dark red dress, with long sleeves and golden swirls, and many tiny rhinestones adorning her hipline. She had her hair in an elaborate updo, with flowers adorning it, she gasped at the sight of Agatha.

"Aggie you look so…regal!" She exclaimed loudly, Sophie approached her and the girl embraced tightly.

"And you, you look like a princess' Agatha replied, Sophie grinned.

"Thank you! I'm so excited for tonight! I can't wait, I really can't wait" Sophie expressed, her smile growing bigger for each passing minute.

"Well, we have an hour left, which is _a lot_. But, we almost forget your jewelry!" Nerida pointed out.

"Oh yeah!" Arietta grabbed a little silver box from the bed, then passed it to Nerida. Nerida went through its contents, pulling out a ring, a pair of earrings, a golden bracelet, and the infamous pearl necklace.

"Well, we can each put a piece of jewelry on her; I get the necklace though" Nerida informed, the other maids then took something else.

Arietta slipped the ring in Agatha's right ring finger, Heloise put on the golden bracelet with rubies, Emmeline put on the small earrings, and Nerida slipped on the pearl necklace.

"Now you are ready!" Emmeline exclaimed, Agatha smiled at her.

"Wait! What about her shoes?" Nerida asked, holding a pair of teal flats.

"Oh yeah! Just put those one" Emmeline told Agatha, the latter did as the maid said.

"Okay, _now_ you are ready!" Emmeline repeated, making Agatha smile.

"What time is it?" Agatha inquired

"Um, 2:05, we still have a little bit of time" Nerida replied, Agatha nodded quietly.

In less than two hours, she would be at her coronation. Agatha would have never imagined this would happen; she never thought she could even get married, much less govern a whole nation. It was such a scary thought, it made her stomach twist. But at the same time, she had to admit it was a little exciting. Just a little.

"Oh, I have another question," Agatha intervened, "how do guests get there? Do they just walk?"

"Well, yes. Most of the castle will probably exit at about 3:30, maybe earlier, it depends on the person" Arietta replied.

"When should I leave?" Sophie asked the maids, idly twirling a ringlet of hair.

"Hmm, maybe 3:30 is the best time, are you a slow walker?" Arietta asked.

"Eh, sort of; maybe that will work" Sophie responded, smiling widely again.

As the time elapsed, the maids made sure everything was ready, after all, Agatha needed to look as perfect as she could, against all of Agatha's protests, they made sure everything looked fine.

"Guys, it's time! We need to head out!" Nerida exclaimed, Arietta looked from the mirror, and Agatha's stomach sank. She was closer now.

"Okay…I'll see you guys there, right?" Agatha asked, all the women in the room smiled at her in an assuring manner.

"Good luck!" They called out, just as Nerida, Arietta and Agatha exited the rooms.

Nerida walked quickly, as quickly as she could in her long, dark green dress; Arietta tried to keep up, but her light pink dress played an impediment on her as well.

"No matter what happens, you'll be alright" Nerida had said, Agatha nodded, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Agatha came from Gavaldon to do this; she overcame the horrible journey of twenty-something days, she managed to survive Etiquette classes, she learned to dance, she survived her wedding. Now, the Coronation was the next step, this is why she came here. This is it. Suddenly the castle felt as cramped as her old house.

 _Just don't ruin it, do what you must do._


	21. Coronation: Part II

Bandidaciega; Hi guys! I finally finished this chapter, sorry it took me a while! But we finally get to see the Coronation.

Enjoy!

* * *

Unlike Agatha, Nerida and Arietta knew their way around the castle pretty well. Agatha knew some passages and halls, but she had no idea how they were supposed to go to the Inner Court. Luckily, Nerida and Arietta did.

"Just follow us; that usually works. Besides, I have nearly a decade working here; I know how to get to the Inner Court" Nerida assured, rushing in her green dress. Agatha struggled to keep up with her, but managed to do so.

They walked a long way; the usual dark halls, the magnificent rooms adorned with paintings, and countless sets of stairs. While they did this, she wondered if someone could be late to their own coronation.

"Are you sure we'll be there on time?" Agatha asked, walking quickly while holding her dress.

"I hope so," Arietta chirped, "we are almost there, I mean, we're about to exit the keep"

' _What was the keep again?'_ Agatha wanted to ask; she still was pretty bad with castles' terminology.

Nerida pushed opened a door, revealing the bright sun rays. The trio covered their eyes with their hands, but kept walking.

"I can't believe today is the coronation! I've always wanted to see one, and now I get to!" Arietta exclaimed excitedly. Agatha wished she could share the feeling with the chirpy brunette.

"Is there something I need to remember? I feel I'm forgetting something" Agatha asked, both maids shook their heads.

"Not that we know of…of course, we're just maids, we don't know much about royal ceremonies" Nerida pointed out, Agatha silently agreed with her.

"Did I really need the veil? I'm already sweltering" Agatha complained, Arietta smiled apologetically.

"It's the royal tradition. Usually coronations take place in fall. This is one of the exceptions" Arietta explained, Agatha's shoulders slumped.

"Really? Why are they in such a hurry for this? Is Arthur dying or something?" Agatha asked, not really caring to make sense. Arietta and Nerida shared a quick glance.

Oh no. Their glances _always_ mean something.

"You don't know?" Nerida whispered, Agatha frowned.

"I usually don't" Agatha replied, still frowning.

"Many say the king is dying" Arietta whispered, "they all say alcoholism finally got to him. Nobody know if it's true, though. They might be rumors, they most likely are, at least the part about dying. But, he's a heavy drinker, so it could be partly true"

"How long have you known about this?" Agatha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have known about it for a week, but people say that's one of the reasons they were so desperate to marry off Tedros" Arietta confided in a low whisper.

"Look, I'm all about being informed about what's going on in the castle, but I don't think we should be gossiping about Tedros' father when we're only like fifteen meters away from him" Nerida chided, Agatha looked ahead; Tedros _was_ standing only a few meters away. But he wasn't alone, he was standing with what looked like a guard.

"Who is that guy?" Agatha inquired, pointing at the guard

"Xalvador" Nerida and Arietta replied in unison, in very distinct tones.

"Oh, right" Agatha remembered Nerida saying he was in charge of the castle's guards today.

As the trio approached them, Agatha started feeling like she was going to explode. Every second she was closer to being a queen, and she definitely wasn't ready for that. She tried to inhale and exhale, but even that simple task seemed hard to do.

Agatha's thoughts were interrupted when she realized they were standing in front of Tedros and Xalvador. Tedros smiled brightly at her; he was wearing a navy blue jacket, very similar to one from the wedding, but this one had a variety of medals in it, the kind that they give in the military. He wore a white shirt under it, as well as black breeches with boots.

"Well, after hours of hard work, here's our dear, future queen" Arietta said, breaking the silence.

"I see you did a great job with her" Tedros commented, still smiling at Agatha. She allowed herself a shy smile.

"Thank you" Nerida replied politely

"I know we did" Arietta said, grinning. Nerida shot her a disapproving glance. Arietta rolled her green eyes at Nerida.

"Agatha, this is Xalvador, he's going to be in charge of the guards today. He wanted to meet you, he's also my brother, as you already know" Nerida informed, swiftly changing the subject.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, my lady" Xalvador spoke, he gently shook Agatha's hand.

Now, any other princess would reply something like 'the pleasure is mine", or, 'it's great to meet you', but as we know, Agatha is not like other princesses, so she awkwardly replied:

"Hi, and please, just call me Agatha" She did awkwardly smile at him, which Xalvador either chose to ignore, or didn't mind.

"As you say, Agatha. I am sure both of you will be marvelous monarchs of this kingdom" Xalvador commented, Tedros smiled at him, while Agatha just nodded, not even trying to smile.

"Thank you, also, thank you for doing this; the streets are already full of crazy crowds, guarding the castle will be no easy task" Tedros replied, Xalvador nodded.

"Yeah, in fact we probably shouldn't be holding you much longer, you should probably be headed for the carriage. It is a long way to the church" Xalvador observed, the maids nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we will leave you guys, we don't want to delay you anymore" Arietta said. She then proceeded to hug Agatha, and Nerida did the same.

"We'll see you there!" Nerida called out, walking towards the moat with Arietta.

"I'll leave as well; hopefully everything will go smoothly. Good luck" Xalvador verbalized, then headed for the keep.

"What do we do now?" Agatha asked Tedros

"We go to the moat, the carriage is there." Tedros replied, then added, "You look really beautiful"

"Thank you," Agatha replied, blushing wildly, "should we head out?"

"We should" Tedros answered. They started walking towards the moat. Since they were being expected, the drawbridge had been already lowered. Agatha didn't feel very sure about walking over it, especially since she knew the waters below it had crocodiles. She decided to just look ahead of her. That would be a better idea.

The carriage was waiting there for them, as well as…Tristan? It was becoming a tradition to see him at big events. Instead of wearing the typical guard uniform, he just wore beige breeches with a white, long sleeved shirt.

"Tristan? What are you doing here?" Agatha asked, then quickly added, "Not that I mind, I'm just wondering.

"Well, I was told to drive the carriage, since I happen to be a friend of Tedros, and you and I are on friendly terms…right?" Agatha and Tedros grinned at Tristan in reply.

"You could say that" Agatha replied, still grinning.

"Alright" Tristan smiled, he then opened the carriage doors for them. Tristan and Tedros helped Agatha get in, and for once, she was grateful for the help; the dress was a little bit too long, and she feared she would trip and fall face flat.

After the two were in the carriage safely, they started moving, and eventually left the castle.

"Are you nervous?" Tedros asked Agatha, she nodded furiously.

"Yeah, I don't know about you, but managing a whole country sounds really daunting" Agatha replied, Tedros nodded in agreement.

"I'm nervous too, I'm not even going to bother lying" Tedros confessed, looking at Agatha.

"Say, if I embarrass myself in front of everybody, do you think they'll remember me as a mess?" Agatha inquired, Tedros chuckled, much to her annoyance.

"You'll be alright, I mean, you managed to survive the wedding, and that involved kissing in front of hundreds of strangers" Tedros assured, Agatha cracked a smile.

"I guess you have a point" Agatha conceded, looking out of the windows.

As they proceeded, their progress was hindered by the crowds of people in the streets. Agatha noticed all of them seemed to have the nicest kind of clothes, even if they were peasants, they all looked better than she ever did when she was a commoner. Then it dawned on her, the coronation is a public event. Anybody can stand outside of the church and see, or at least try.

"Why is the coronation a public event?" Agatha asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"It's pretty much a big distraction for the whole kingdom; besides, it's the only royal event that anybody can attend to without previous invitations. Other than that, it's actually a way to show off the new king and queen" Tedros responded, Agatha raised an eyebrow.

"Are all of these people going there?" She asked, Tedros nodded. Agatha limited herself to widening her eyes. How could all these people fit in one building? What would they do there? How long is the coronation even?

Agatha decided not to bother herself asking these questions, rather she focused on the big masses in the streets. It really seemed _everybody_ wanted to see this. From the lowest peasant, to the highest noble.

As they rode, the way seemed interminable; not only it was far away, but the crowds didn't help either. And if that wasn't enough, it was as if this was the hottest day Agatha had had in Camelot.

When they finally arrived to the church, just finding a way to the entrance looked impossible; the people gathered in front of the cathedral, all wanting to get a glance of their royalty.

"How are we going to get in?" Agatha asked, keeping her eyes on the people. Tristan replied this time;

"Well, you'll two exit the crowd and make your triumphant entrance to the church" Agatha widened her eyes, even Tedros raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? On any other occasion I wouldn't mind, but I don't want to get harassed by a big multitude" Tedros questioned. Agatha silently agreed with him.

"No worries, there's guards securing the perimeter. Everything is arranged for your safety" Tristan assured, even though it didn't calm Agatha's insecurities.

"If you say so, I guess we'll have to do it" Agatha sighed, not feeling the thrill the crowd was feeling.

"Great, now let's get to it" Tristan descended his horse, then opened the doors to their carriage. As soon as Agatha and Tedros exited, the crowds cheered loudly, some even tried to approach them, but their attempts failed, for the guards restrained them.

"Are we supposed to wave and smile now?" Agatha asked Tedros

"We probably should" He replied, Agatha resisted the urge to frown.

The two linked arms, just like any other royal couple tended to do, and then started walking towards the church's doors. Tedros smiled and waved at the crowds, it seemed as if he did this every day. Agatha just settled for flashing her best smile, which couldn't be perfect, but it would satisfy the people.

They pretty much waltzed, almost glided on their feet. Agatha thought Etiquette was truly paying off; even a couple of weeks ago, she couldn't have been able to put up this act. The act of being a perfect, beautiful princess. It was in that moment, when Agatha finally felt like the princess she was. Not even at her wedding she got this feeling; the feeling of adoration from the crowds, the feeling of being prime and pristine, the feeling she could actually do this.

When they got to the doors, they were already open for them. As the couple stepped in, the audience rose respectfully and solemnly. Unlike the crowds outside, this one kept to themselves and only applauded them. It was still an overwhelming feeling, to be applauded just because she was entering an establishment.

Agatha scanned the crowds, looking for anybody she knew; she mainly found middle aged nobles and some princesses her age. As she and Tedros approached the front, she managed to see Arietta and Nerida, who were sitting five rows from the front; Arietta waved, while Nerida settled for a simple smile. Her heart pounded at the sight of all these people, but it always felt good to see a familiar face in the crowd.

Ironically, Agatha recognized some of the royals from the wedding. She couldn't remember their names, but she could remember talking to some of them. Most of them smiled in an assuring manner at them, while others just kept a serious expression on their faces

After what seemed an endless procession, they finally reached the altar. Just as it was expected, Charles was there, wearing his usual green and white robes and his big smile. Next to him, there was a…glass case? It was covered with a piece of burgundy fabric. Agatha figured it was her crown, since Arthur must be wearing Tedros'. Agatha resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably. This is it. There's no turning back.

"Friends, family, we are gathered here today to crown our new monarchs; Tedros and Agatha. And while it is a privilege to rule, it is also a responsibility…" Charles continued with his introduction. Agatha found it really hard to focus, while Tedros seemed to have zoned out completely. Agatha elbowed him lightly, he looked at her confused, while she just gestured to Charles. Not that she really blamed Tedros; she was finding it really hard to focus. She wondered about what guests were here, were they the same from the wedding? Were there commoners that had sneaked up on the church? Agatha shook off those thoughts and tried to concentrate on whatever Charles was saying.

Much like the wedding, there was a short homily, but thankfully, it was much shorter than the wedding's. Finally, there was a short prayer, to bless the future monarchs. Agatha found it a little bit tedious. It was a little irritating how every single big celebration needed to be so solemn and protocoled.

"Now, the reason why we're all here. If you all could rise" Charles commanded, the audience obeyed. Agatha felt the sweat trickling down her forehead.

"Also, I need King Arthur to come forward." Charles announced, Arthur rose from his seat in the front. His crown glinted in the sunlight; it was golden, adorned by rubies, sapphires and diamonds. He smiled at Tedros and Agatha; Agatha wanted to pass out in that moment.

"Now, Tedros, repeat after me; I Tedros"

"I Tedros"

"Pledge to do what's best for my country"

"Pledge to do what's best for my country"

"And for my people"

"And for my people"

"Faithfully promise to unite the nation"

"Faithfully promise to unite the nation"

"And defend my land at any danger"

"And defend my land at any danger"

"Your Majesty, you may crown him" Charles indicated. Arthur removed his crown from his head and placed it atop Tedros'. He smiled proudly at his son, and Tedros returned the smile.

"Now Agatha, if you would repeat after me"

Oh God. Here she goes.

"I Agatha"

"I Agatha"

"Pledge to do what's best for my country"

"Pledge to do what's best for my country"

"And for my people"

"And for my people"

"Faithfully promise to unite the nation"

"Faithfully promise to unite the nation"

"And defend my land at any danger"

"And defend my land at any danger"

She managed not to stutter, which was satisfactory. Then a question rose in her mind; who crowns her? After all, at the moment, there is no queen who would crown her.

Her question was soon answered, as Charles revealed what laid underneath the cloth; a sparkling silver crown laid there. It was adorned with sapphires and diamonds, as well as it being intricately designed.

Arthur removed the glass case, then handed it to Charles. He took out the crown and placed it on top of Agatha's head. It collided with the circlet, but Agatha didn't mind. She was shaking as Arthur did so.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our King and our Queen" Charles proclaimed. The crowd applauded and cheered. Most of it stood to celebrate. Even Agatha had to smile at that moment. It was terribly nerve wrecking, but it was thrilling, in some twisted way.

Agatha's hand found Tedros' and gave it a squeeze. He looked at her and smiled, he then leaned and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Agatha blushed wildly, but undoubtedly returned it. Needless to say, the crowd were even crazier at that.

Finally, they started heading out of the church. As they walked down the aisle, Agatha could hear the loud cheers, the applause. It was unimaginable how crazy people got over a coronation, and these were the _royals_ for crying out loud, they were used to these kind of ceremonies. In fact, they probably attended at least one each month.

When they finally exited the building, the crowds outside were even more euphoric. They also cheered and clapped loudly, but it was different in a way Agatha couldn't put into words. Like when Agatha and Tedros exited the carriage the first time, the people also tried to approach them, but their attempts failed, again.

As they approached their carriage, Tristan was already waiting for them. How he managed to exit, it was unknown to Agatha. All it mattered was that he was there.

Wordlessly, opened the carriage's doors for them. Just as before, Agatha received help from Tedros. And when they finally were in the carriage, Agatha felt like she could breathe again. The stress from the coronation was out of her system, at least a part of it. The anxiety of messing up on the ceremony was over. Now, the real stress began; after today, she would officially be a queen, and Tedros would be a king. They were in charge of a whole country.

"I can't believe that's finally over" Agatha said, sighing in relief.

"I know," Tedros replied, "this was pretty much the moment my life had been building up to, and now it's over…that's really odd."

"This was the moment that led me here, the day I dreaded for a long time…I guess it was alright, I mean, I didn't do something stupid and embarrass myself" Agatha commented, Tedros smiled at her.

"I knew you were going to be fine, you always expect something horrible and end up getting something you call 'decent'" Tedros verbalized. Agatha just looked away, knowing that was the truth.

"It's really strange seeing you with a crown" Agatha observed, looking at Tedros' golden crown. He just smiled at her in response.

"I would say the same about you, but it's a reassuring sight" Tedros responded, Agatha raised an eyebrow.

"Why is it reassuring?"

"Because that means you won't let me do something incredibly stupid and screw up everything" Agatha laughed in that moment.

"I guess it's a valid point, but I don't really know anything about being a queen, so it's like a blind it's leading the blind" Agatha stated, Tedros grinned at her.

"I think we'll be fine…or at least I hope so" Tedros mumbled, Agatha smiled at him.

When she first heard she was going to Camelot, she freaked out. There was not a part of her that wanted to do this, and why would she? There were more unknowns than she would've liked, but she ended up here. Agatha thought she would be unhappy forever, but how wrong she was. And she was never happier she was wrong.

She was a Queen. A title that she never imagined she would hold. But she was going to give it her best, she was going to show why she was chosen to do this.

If there was something Agatha could change about castles, it would be the endless number of hallways. She and Tedros had gotten safely to the castle, and now were heading towards the main ballroom.

Agatha remembered the dim, gloomy halls; a reminder of her first time in the castle, and a reminder of the wedding. There was nobody to be see, (there was never nobody to be seen in these hallways), for everybody must be at the ballroom already, waiting impatiently for them to arrive.

Agatha's feet ached, she was sweltering, and she was trying to balance the crown on her head while walking. It wasn't the most comfortable situation ever, but it could be worse. And ironically, she was getting used to the uncomfortable garments that were forced on her.

Unlike previous times, no guard had escorted either of them. Apparently, all of them had been deployed to guard the castle, since coronations had a fame of being the best day to attack the castle. It was a chilling thought Nerida once shared with Agatha, and needless to say, Agatha feared someone would try to attack her. It was a silly thought, but she still had it.

"How much longer until we find the ballroom?" Agatha asked Tedros

"It shouldn't be too far" He replied, pushing open a door that led to another hallway.

And it wasn't; a few minutes later, they could see the magnificent golden doors that led to the ballroom. Agatha's heart pounded; even though she had managed to survive the reception for her wedding, she still got a little nervous about dancing in front of big, judging crowds of royals.

When they finally reached the doors, they were greeted by Xalvador. Huh, that was unexpected. Agatha just hoped it wasn't a bad sign.

"Xalvador? I thought you said you were going to guard the drawbridge" Tedros uttered.

"I was, but me and a couple other guards decided to stay around the ballroom, just in case. The drawbridge still has over a dozen men, so I think it should be fine" Xalvador replied, looking from Agatha to Tedros.

"Are we supposed to enter now?" Agatha inquired, looking over at Tedros. He replied by shrugging.

"I say we should" Tedros answered, Agatha nodded, and then took a deep breath.

"It seemed the ballroom was ready about five minutes ago, you probably should" Xalvador spoke.

"Then, let's do it" Tedros said, then looked over at Agatha, "Ready?"

She inhaled, then exhaled, and finally said;

"I think I'm ready" She smiled weakly at him, and he grinned goofily at her. As the headed for the ballroom, Xalvador opened the doors for them.

It had been overwhelming at the wedding. And it was still an overpowering sight.

They walked down the polished mahogany stairs, smiling at the cheering and admiring crowds. And even though Agatha was nervous, she was much more relaxed than she had been an hour ago. The crowds applauded, just as they had at the church, but this time, instead of standing, all of them sat in circular tables, some chatting with the person next to them.

And even though everything was going great, there was only one problem; Agatha had no idea what to do next. Ah, yes. They hadn't been too clear as to what they were supposed to do after they triumphantly entered the ballroom…

"What are we supposed to do now?" Agatha asked Tedros in a low whisper.

"We are supposed to go to the rectangular table at the back of the room" He replied in the same hushed tone. Agatha nodded silently.

The two made their way to their table, and as they sat, the room fell unnervingly quiet. Agatha noticed the ballroom was even fancier than it had been for the wedding. Yes, the tables still had the same white, linen tablecloths. And the chairs kept the navy and gold arrangement. But now, all the tables had elaborate centerpieces in that same color palette; vases with blue flowers, decorated with yellow stones inside the vase itself. As well as two pale blue candles at either side of the vase.

In fact, even their own table had a bigger and more elaborate centerpiece; it was like the other ones, but whoever made this had adorned the table with petals of a light, colored blue. Agatha scrunched her nose, too many petals. No doubt why Arietta and Nerida had had so much work lately. And to finalize, all the tables had a glass of champagne for each guest. A toast was coming up soon.

Just like at the previous ball, Arthur rose from his seat and stepped to the middle of the dancefloor. He had managed to get everyone's attention, for everybody craned their necks to get a better sight of him.

"Before I begin, I want to thank all of you that came here; it is an honor to be surrounded by all of you these evening. Now, we all know why we're here; to celebrate the coronation of my son, Tedros, and his wife, as well as my daughter-in-law, Agatha. Coronations are obviously important, the event marks who will reign over the kingdom. Unfortunately, many see it as an excuse to have a ball and party."

 _Don't you all do the same?_ Agatha wanted to ask, but abstained herself from doing so.

"Being a monarch is no easy task; many times, you will wonder if you're doing the right thing, and sometimes, you won't do the right thing. Even if it happens, which it will, the important thing is to correct those mistakes, and acknowledge you messed up. Now, let's raise our glass and have a toast; for King Tedros and Queen Agatha, and may their reign be a successful and prosperous one" Everybody cheered at that moment, then proceeded to toast.

Agatha's insides churned at the mention of her title, but managed to keep her composure. She and Tedros toasted, smiling to each other. Agatha was still in disbelief of today's events, but she decided to enjoy their evening.

The ball started shortly after that; royals stood and danced as soon as the music started; their colorful gowns spinning and twirling across the room. And as it was to be expected, Tedros didn't take too long to ask Agatha to dance. She didn't even hesitate and danced with him.

They waltzed across the dancefloor, enjoying every moment; Tedros placed his hand at her waist, just as she placed hers on his shoulder, and instead of avoiding eye contact, they didn't even break it once. Agatha couldn't believe she was liking the fact she was _dancing_. But in the end, she would need to get used to it at some point, even if she couldn't believe herself.

"You're actually getting pretty good at dancing" Tedros observed, Agatha grinned.

"So are you" Agatha replied sarcastically, earning her an eye roll from Tedros.

The best thing about balls was how people was like a hundred times nicer than usual; maybe it was the dancing, maybe it was the food, Agatha didn't know why, but people always seemed nicer on balls.

And as expected, Sophie eventually found her way to Agatha.

"I don't know about you, but I really, really love balls. And everything went so great! How does it feel to be a queen?" Sophie asked, Agatha shrugged.

"I don't know, it feels really odd…it's just really weird and daunting" Agatha replied earnestly.

"I can imagine. Was I the only one who was practically melting at that church?" Agatha shook her head violently.

"I was sweltering the whole time" Agatha confessed.

"Me too…anyways, you're not going to believe who asked me to dance?' Sophie asked excitedly, Agatha sighed.

"Let me guess, a prince?" Agatha assumed, Sophie rolled her green eyes.

"Well, yes, at least I think he's one. But he also asked me to dance at the wedding! I think he might be into me" Sophie gushed, Agatha just shook her head.

"Do you know his name?" Agatha inquired, Sophie fidgeted.

"Well…no, but I'm getting there! Trust me, I got this" Sophie assured, Agatha rolled her eyes again.

"Whatever you say, Sophie. If I'm a Queen, you can be anything, really" Sophie smiled at that.

"Thank you, for sort of believing in me" Agatha laughed at that.

The ball went on, and Agatha encountered her mother, who congratulated and expressed her pride for her daughter;

"I'm really proud of you, and I'm sure you'll accomplish great things" Callis assured, Agatha teared up a little, but managed to keep her composure and hugged her mother.

And of course, Arietta and Nerida hurried to talk to her. Agatha had been expecting this, so it wasn't much of a shocker.

"See? We told you the ceremony would be alright" Arietta said, Nerida nodded her head.

"I know…" Agatha mumbled, the maids smiled brightly at her.

"Well, you did great Agatha! We're really proud of you!" Nerida exclaimed, then added, "You've come such a long way"

"I have…thank you for everything" Agatha said, the maids smiled/

"It has been our pleasure" Arietta admitted, doing her best curtsy.

"Also, are we not going to talk about that kiss at the church?" Arietta asked, letting out a little squeal, Agatha rolled her eyes.

"We're not, or I'll say how adorable you and Xalvador look" Agatha threatened, Arietta frowned.

"Fine, have it your way," Arietta conceded, then turned to Nerida, "you're rubbing on her"

"And you are rubbing on me" Nerida retorted.

As the night progressed, Agatha got to enjoy the fine pastries the cooks had put out; from brownies to cookies, they had really done a fine job. Agatha loved their food, and she had to admit, balls always had good food.

"Enjoying the food, I see?" Tedros teased, Agatha frowned; her mouth was currently full of her third brownie.

"I don't get to eat much dessert, might as well enjoy it" Agatha retorted, Tedros chuckled.

"As you say, Agatha" He said, taking a cookie from the table.

The evening was like a fairy tale; the royals congratulated Tedros and Agatha non-stop. From Camelot all over to Pasha Dunes, the endearing words came in a deluge. Even the princess from Jaunt Jolie, Beatrix, managed to say something nice. And she had infame of being the most stuck up princess.

"You did well" She had claimed, fixing her blonde curls.

Agatha never noticed many details, especially people in the crowds. But when she saw Xalvador enter the ballroom, wearing a worried expression, Agatha couldn't help but worry.

"Your Majesty, there has been a problem" Xalvador claimed. Agatha and Tedros looked up to each other, obviously preoccupied.

"What is it?" Tedros inquired

"An intruder has been found in the castle. We need to take everybody out of the ballroom" Xalvador explained. Agatha paled even more.

What kind of intruder?

"Well, let's get to it" Tedros decided.

Guards came in from the doors, people looked obviously confused. And what started out very small, it became major chaos. The royals obviously were scared, after all, an intruder could be anyone. Agatha immediately thought of Nerida's words, what if it was a murderer? Agatha shook off the thought, trying to concentrate on helping people leave the ballroom.

At least royals followed instructions; Agatha and Tedros aided the guards with the people, and eventually managed to get everybody out. Agatha just hoped her loved ones wouldn't be in too much of a dazed state.

After the ballroom was evacuated, Xalvador led Agatha, Tedros and Arthur through the hallways. Apparently, a troop of guards had captured the intruder, but nobody offered any clarification as to who it was. Agatha was worried as to who it could be, Tedros just wanted to know who it was, while Arthur seemed to be fuming at the whole incident. Agatha was curious as to why the former king seemed so irritated. They only had two hours as monarchs, and they already had had an intruder. Aren't they lucky?

"I'm so deeply sorry. We had every single door watched, the whole perimeter was guarded! I don't even know how it happened" Xalvador rambled on as they walked.

"It's alright" Agatha said, "I believe you did what you could" But she did worry what kind of person it could be.

"Thank you but even that will not correct this incident." Xalvador alleged. Agatha agreed with him, even though she felt bad about his current situation. She doubted he would be trusted with the guards anytime soon. But pity couldn't cloud her concentration.

"We'll handle this as we go" Tedros claimed, trying to maintain a composed façade.

As they finally reached the room, Xalvador opened the doors. Agatha expected a terrible murderer to be chained behind those doors, someone to look as dangerous as a tiger, as mad as a dog infected with rabies. But as they opened said doors, she let out a gasp. It was the complete opposite.

She didn't personally know the intruder, but Agatha recognized her instantly.

"Guinevere"

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I usually don't do cliffhangers, but this demanded one...please do review!

Happy new Year guys! May 2016 be a great year, and stay safe!


	22. Confessions filled with tears

Bandidaciega: Hello guys! I know I took a while to update, but I finally updated it! We finally get to see Guinevere in this chapter.

Also, I am only two reviews away from 200 reviews! You guys are absolutely amazing, every review means so much to me! Like I did when I hit 100 reviews, everybody who reviews this chapter will get a shoutout in the next chapter! It's my way of saying 'thank you'

Enjoy this chapter! And please review ^^

The words escaped Agatha's lips without her realizing it, it wasn't until she realized Tedros and Arthur looked at her strangely she acknowledged she had spoken. Her eyes darted from them to Guinevere; her eyes shifted from Tedros, then to Agatha, but they never went to Arthur's face. Guinevere had a strange expression on her face, it wasn't sad, nor it was confused, she was simply staring at the people in front of her, as if she knew this would happen.

The former Queen sat in a chair: she wore a threadbare, light blue dress, besides that, she had hair a light shade of brown, and at the moment, it was extremely messy. Agatha noticed there was little to no resemblance between her and Tedros, except for the fact that both had the same button nose.

There had been a few seconds of silence after Agatha had spoken, that silence was broken by Xalvador:

"Your Majesty, we found her near the castle's treasury. A troop of guards spotted her quickly and alerted us. She was easily recognized as Guinevere, the former Queen of Camelot."

Agatha looked at Tedros, he seemed confused and angry at the same time, as if he wasn't sure what to feel at the sight of his estranged mother. Arthur, on the other side, he was plainly angry, wrathful even, and he didn't fail to show it, either.

"WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE? SHE RAN AWAY AND DESERTED US! AND NOW SHE HAS THE INDECENCY TO _SHOW UP AND SNEAK UP._ I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, I _WISHED YOU WERE_. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Arthur took a really deep breath in that moment, in an attempt to calm down, "You have the audacity to even approach this kingdom! You have a death warrant and you appear, besides a terrible woman, you're an incredibly stupid bit—"Arthur was interrupted by Tedros:

"Father please, I am going to ask you to leave" Arthur glared at his son, then at his former wife, and finally decided to announce:

"I hope you will make an intelligent decision, that's all I'm going to say" Arthur sneered and stormed off the room. Agatha watched as Tedros looked away from his mother, unsure what to do.

"I swear, I can explain what's going on." Guinevere said, breaking the silence. Agatha looked at her, then at Tedros; he raised his eyebrows at his mother, obviously uncomfortable. Agatha didn't really blame him. She wouldn't really know how to react if she was put into his situation

"Please do so" Tedros ordered, Agatha looked over at Guinevere again. She fidgeted in her current seat.

"Well, it's a little bit of a long story, but first I need to get something out," Guinevere looked through her dress's pockets, and she found an old crown. Agatha gasped: that had been the old official crown. If Guinevere had never left, Agatha would be wearing that right now.

"See, I heard the Coronation was approaching, and I wanted to do something right: return this crown to the right place. It has no use with me, and the Queen would need it." Guinevere explained, made a little pause, and then continued, "The plan was for me to sneak into the Treasury and place it there. But I was caught, and that's why I am here"

Tedros' face went from anger, to confusion, to frustration, until he finally rubbed his temples in exasperation.

"Why would you do it on the Coronation?" Tedros asked, obvious puzzlement in his tone.

"Because, it's the one day everybody's distracted with the Ball, I thought nobody would be around the Treasury…but I was clearly wrong" Guinevere told, never tearing her eyes from Tedros. A clear sadness lingered in both pair of blue eyes.

"Xalvador, could you excuse us?" Tedros asked, Xalvador wordlessly nodded and exited in silence, not even bothering to ask why. He understood. Tedros then turned to face Agatha.

"Agatha, could you please leave us alone?" Tedros requested, Agatha nodded silently. She kissed his cheek and then whispered:

"Good luck" Tedros nodded, and Agatha left in that moment. As she crossed the doors, she just hoped it wouldn't end badly.

She understood why Tedros was angry at his mother, but Agatha couldn't help but feel a strange compassion for Guinevere. Maybe it was because Nerida spoke so highly of her, or maybe Agatha didn't understand it, either way, she couldn't afford to think what would happen to Guinevere. Arthur did say she had a death warrant on her head, that wouldn't help the woman's case.

As Agatha strolled down the halls, she just hoped things wouldn't go too badly. Agatha couldn't see Tedros doing something too rash, but for all she knew, she could be wrong.

Tedros wasn't sure of what to say. What could he tell his mother? During all of these years, he had imagined this moment, he had imagined of what he would say: demand why had she done it, ask what kind of mother does that to her only son? But right now, he was speechless, and he felt as if all the anger he had felt was being replaced by an immense sadness.

"Tedros, it feels good to see you again" Guinevere whispered softly. Tedros had to hold back all of the tears he felt forming at his eyes. He saw his mother rise from her seat, and she approached him slowly. Tedros felt his lips quiver, it was getting really hard to fight the urge to cry. Guinevere finally reached him and embraced her son tightly. In that moment, it became too overwhelming, until their tears started flowing freely. All these years, he thought he hated his mother, he thought he could never bring himself to speak to her, but how wrong he was.

"Why, Mother? Why did you leave us? Why did you leave me?" Tedros asked, hot tears running down his face. Guinevere broke apart, the same tears staining her face. She hesitated before replying, sighed and finally answered.

"I didn't love your father. I never did." Guinevere confessed. Her voice was a low whisper, so low, it was barely audible.

Tedros raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes, unable to say anything else. It seemed everything he had believed was a lie, a lie that had been shattered in a matter of seconds.

"I was always in love with Lancelot. Your father may have given me the best and most exquisite gifts he could find. But Lancelot gave me the love I sought: real love, and that's something I wouldn't have with your father, no matter how hard I tried."

"But…I thought you two had married because you loved each other, they said it was one of the few marriages that hadn't been arranged" Tedros said, stumbling with his words. Guinevere shook her head, and smiled sadly.

"It was arranged. It was a lie they sold." Guinevere confessed, while Tedros felt even worse by each minute passing.

"Our marriage was loveless. The reason I stayed so long was because of you, Tedros, and that wasn't a good reason" Guinevere told, Tedros frowned.

"Why not?" He asked

"Because, the longer I stayed, the more it would hurt you when I left. I leaving was a need. A horrible, cruel need. But I knew it would be the best, and sometimes, doing what you need to do is not easy. But you must do it, regardless of how hard it may be." Guinevere uttered.

"What made you leave at that moment?" Tedros asked, looking intently at his mother. She bit her lip and then replied:

"Your father found out about Lancelot and I… and adultery is not taken lightly. As soon as I knew he found out, I left. I didn't want to leave you, I really, really didn't, but I made the best decision I could've" Guinevere declared, Tedros listened, feeling even more tears run down his face.

"I am so sorry, I know that word it's not enough, nothing really is…but I really am sorry. And I completely understand if you don't forgive me" Guinevere announced, but Tedros hugged her tightly and sobbed freely.

"I feel so ashamed…all of these years, I...resented you, and I hated you" His voice gave out, and he felt his mother embrace him tighter.

"Did you really only come to return the crown?" He inquired. Guinevere broke away and replied:

"It was the main reason, but I did hope I would get a glimpse of you" Guinevere admitted.

"How did you know about the Coronation?" Tedros asked, wiping the tears from his face. Guinevere hesitated before replying:

"Merlin told me about it." Tedros widened his eyes in that moment. Merlin? The same crazy alchemist he knew? The same man who also disappeared when he was nine?

"You are in contact with him? _Where_ is he?" Tedros demanded. All of these years, he had also wondered what happened to Merlin. One day, he had just disappeared and had never seen again.

"He visits sometimes, he usually does it on Christmas. But this year he showed up a few weeks ago, saying they had scheduled the Coronation. He also told me about our wedding a few weeks before the date. I didn't even attempt to show up, since I know weddings are private events, and that would have created much more trouble for me." Guinevere explained, Tedros nodded silently, trying to grasp the moment.

"How did Merlin know about this? When does he even come?" Tedros asked, puzzled but amused by the thought of Merlin.

"Oh, nobody questions Merlin, so I just accept the information he brings." Guinevere said, smiling weakly. Tedros returned the smile.

"Mother, are you…are you and Lancelot still together?" Tedros asked, gathering up all the courage to ask a simple question.

"We are, and we are very happy with each other" Guinevere replied, her smile never left her lips.

At least she was happy, even if she was far away.

"Did you get to see the Coronation ceremony?" Tedros inquired, Guinevere shook her head.

"It was too dangerous, I couldn't show my face in public like that." Guinevere explained, Tedros nodded again, unsure of what to say.

"What are you going to do with the crown now? Are you going to return it?" Tedros asked. Guinevere suddenly eyed the crown in her hands.

"I should; it really has no place with me, even if your wife already has one" Guinevere said, handing him the old crown. Even though it had been many years since wore it, it still had its spark to it, it still looked worthy of being worn by a queen.

"Are we ever going to address the fact you're married _and_ that you're already a King?" Guinevere asked, a small smile playing on her lips. Tedros managed to smile, even though he felt mildly embarrassed.

"I don't even know how to begin explaining that" Tedros replied, "I'm still trying to believe it myself" He didn't blame his mother for her curiosity. After all, it had been 8 years since they had last seen each other, besides, a marriage _and_ a coronation were pretty big events in anybody's life.

"Before you even say anything, I just want to take this moment and say that I am immensely proud of you. In these past years, you've grown into a great person, and I am sure you will turn into a great king. I don't want to lecture you too much, after all, I know all you hear in those 'royal meetings' is about being a good king, but I will say I have confidence in you, and I am sure you will do great things, and I am not saying that only because I'm your mother, but because I do believe I" Guinevere uttered. Tedros ignored the urge to run to her and hug her again, and instead proceeded to reply:

"Thank you mother," He replied earnestly, "so where should I begin?"

"Well, Merlin did tell me you were married, and I confirmed that just a few minutes ago. So, what is she like? Is she good to you?' Guinevere asked, a little hint of curiosity in her voice. Tedros' heart sped up a little at the mention of Agatha.

He could've gone on about how great Agatha is, how unique she is, and how he would rather spend the rest of his life with her and only her.

But instead, he replied:

"Oh she is wonderful, they couldn't have picked anyone else, and if they had, it wouldn't have been the same" Tedros saw Guinevere smiling brightly at him.

"That's great, Merlin did tell me you two were off to a…ah, rocky start" Guinevere told, Tedros rubbed his neck, avoiding Guinevere's gaze. It was true, but he didn't feel too keen about admitting that out loud. Besides, how did Merlin get this information? Did he just sneak into the castle and spy on them?

"Well…that was before…" Tedros mumbled awkwardly, Guinevere let out a soft laugh.

"If you insist, I will let it go. Would you say you love her?" Guinevere inquired. Tedros blushed a deep shade of red at the question.

"I do. I love her very much" He replied, smiling weakly at his mother. Guinevere returned the smile.

"And do you think she feels the same way?" Guinevere inquired.

"She says she does, and I believe her. She's not the kind of person who is too…touchy feely, but she makes me happy. Happier than I ever expected." Tedros confessed. He really believed Agatha loved him. Like he had just said, she wasn't one for expressing feelings, so he did believe in her confession from last night.

"She looks like a very nice girl. Her name's Agatha, right?" Guinevere asked. Tedros nodded in reply.

"Tedros, you see, when I heard the whole princess hunt idea, I thought it was the most ridiculous idea ever," Guinevere started. Tedros nodded, remembering he thought the same as well, "but I knew it was something royalty could do. And after I heard you have been arranged to marry a commoner, I was curious myself. My biggest worry was whether you were going to be happy or not, especially since Merlin had said you didn't get along very well…but knowing you are happy and that you are in love, that reliefs me beyond doubt. I do wish you two the best, and I hope you two get the happiness you deserve" Guinevere finished, while Tedros nodded wordlessly, unsure of what to say.

"Thank you, mother. If the situations had been different, I would've loved if the two of you had met, but you know…" Tedros trailed off. Guinevere nodded, knowing what he meant.

"I understand." Guinevere replied earnestly

"I promise I'll take off that death warrant of your head. I promise it'll be the first thing I do" Tedros solemnly promised.

"I appreciate that, but I don't think your father will like the idea of me visiting very often" Guinevere said. Tedros frowned.

"Right…." He mumbled, looking around the room.

"But I will try to send letters more often, after all, that can't be banned. I just never attempted it because I know letters tend to be intercepted, and that would have caused too much trouble for everybody," Guinevere explained. Tedros nodded in understanding.

"So what are you going to do now?" Tedros asked Guinevere. The latter shook her head.

"I don't know, what are you going to do with me?" Guinevere asked. Tedros looked around, unsure of what to reply. A part of him wanted her to stay here and never leave him again. But another part of him knew that was impossible; it would cause too much tension.

"Well…I'll just let this go…you can go in peace; we'll act as if this wasn't such a big deal" Tedros finally replied. His mother looked at him, then moved her glance.

"Are you sure?" She asked in a hushed tone. Tedros nodded silently.

"I'll get hold of a trustworthy guard to escort you out of here. Someone I know that won't freak out at the sight of you" Tedros assured. Guinevere nodded. She then approached him and embraced him.

Tedros returned the embrace, hugging his mother tightly. The sadness that washed over him in that moment was immense; but he knew this was the right thing to do.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way" Tedros whispered, holding back tears.

"It's alright; what needed to be done was done, and that's all it matters." Guinevere responded.

Guinevere broke the embrace, but kept her hands on Tedros' shoulders.

"I think you should go and clear up this situation; people must be wondering what's going on" Guinevere adviced.

"I will. I'll try to find Xalvador; he's a reliable guy, and he shouldn't be too far…hopefully" Tedros said. Guinevere smiled at her son and said:

"Go, your people need you"

"Are you sure it's okay if I just leave you here?" Tedros asked, unsure of such action.

"I'll be fine, I promise" Guinevere assured him.

A little hesitant, Tedros left the room. Unsure of what to say and what to do.

When Agatha left the room, she was unclear as to what was she supposed to do. She didn't know where to go, either. But as she strolled down the halls, she made sure to check people was alright.

Agatha entered different rooms, all crowded with scared royals. All of them approached her and bombarded her with the same question: who was the intruder?

Now, Agatha wasn't an expert in handling this type of situation, but she was smart enough to know that if she said it had been Guinevere, the people would explode, and something bad would happen if she gave away that piece of information. So she did something she never did.

She played dumb. When asked who it had been, Agatha would say she hadn't know, and the guard hadn't been able to recognize her. People then asked if Tedros had been able to identify the intruder. Agatha lied and said she 'had been asked to leave before she had known anything else'. Some got really curious and even asked for a physical description. Agatha had no choice but to give one; but she gave a very ambiguous description.

After making sure everybody was alright, (and she meant _everybody),_ she proceeded to sit down at one of the couches the rooms offered. Agatha settled for the room where her mother, Stephan and Sophie had been. They also bombarded her with questions, especially Sophie, who was eager to know what kind of person it had been. Her mother and Stephan just wanted to know if she was alright. Agatha said she was. She didn't tell them that it had been Guinevere, after all, that would have been too much explaining, she would do so later.

Just as she was laying back, she felt someone sit next to her. Agatha opened her eyes: Arietta and Nerida had found her.

"…How? How did you find me?" Agatha asked in surprise.

"Well, it took us like an hour, but we finally found you! We were worried, you know" Arietta explained. Nerida nodded.

"So, is it true you don't know who it was?" Nerida inquired, her gray eyes piercing through Agatha. It was as if Nerida knew she had been lying.

Agatha hesitated; should she tell them? They did know the whole story about Guinevere, so it would be easier to explain. But at the same time, there was too much people around them. After much deliberation, Agatha said:

"To the hall. Now." Arietta and Nerida shared one of their glances, as if to say 'something's terribly wrong'. But neither maid questioned her, and they followed her into the darkened hallway.

"Okay, you _know,_ you just lied!" Arietta accused, but Agatha shushed her.

"Shut it!" Agatha ordered, she looked around, making sure nobody was out there, and finally whispered, "the intruder was Guinevere"

"WHAT?!" Both maids exclaimed in unison. Agatha clamped a hand over their mouths.

"Shh! Nobody can know this!" Agatha chided, they nodded obediently, "I just didn't tell for the sake of her safety. You should've seen Arthur, he could have beheaded her at that moment. Let alone an angry, resentful crowd of royals!"

Nerida removed Agatha's hand from her mouth and said:

"You mean the former queen intruded the castle? Why would she do that?"

"She wanted to return her old crown, but she was caught at the treasury. I don't know much because Tedros asked me to leave shortly after that" Agatha explained. The look on the maids' faces was priceless.

Arietta's jaw almost reached her feet, while Nerida just stared in disbelief.

"She's insane!" Arietta whispered-shouted, "Everybody knows she has a death warrant on her head!"

"Well…." Agatha trailed off.

"What do you think happened after you left? I mean, Tedros doesn't look like the violent type" Nerida asked, Agatha shrugged.

"I don't know, I honestly have no idea. If this information reaches the wrong person, Guinevere it's as good as dead. Oh…" Agatha suddenly remembered something.

"What?" Arietta asked, suddenly startled by Agatha.

"I didn't tell…but what about Arthur? He could have told, and he knows I recognized her instantly! Oh my God, if he told someone, I am as good as dead as well…." Agatha explained. Her head suddenly ached.

"No, he can't do that! Tedros it's the king now, he wouldn't execute his own wife for treason, much less if he loves you. Now, Arthur…let's just make sure he doesn't see you, otherwise, it might not be pretty" Nerida reminded them. Agatha pondered for a second before nodding.

"You have a point" Agatha agreed, the groaned, "How is it possible that on the day of the Coronation there's already a scandal?"

"As long as people doesn't know it's Guinevere, everything will be alright. Let's hope that lasts for a while…"Arietta commented.

Agatha was about to open her mouth, but then she heard footsteps. Her whole body tensed in that instant. Someone could have heard the whole conversations. She turned her head brusquely and saw who was advancing towards them. She relaxed when she realized it was Tedros.

"Tedros? What are you doing here?" Agatha asked bluntly.

"I was looking for you. I guess it's time to tell people what happened…" Tedros announced. Agatha tensed again.

"You mean….the whole truth?" Agatha asked. Tedros nodded.

"I do recognize that it might cause a lot of trouble, and a lot of turmoil…but the right thing to do is to be honest with the people" Tedros explained. Agatha nodded after a few seconds.

"I…I might have lied and said I didn't know who Guinevere was…." Agatha confessed, looking down at the floor. Tedros raised his eyebrows.

"Why?" He inquired, with an obvious confusion in his tone.

"Well…I didn't know what you wanted to do with your mom! So I sort of panicked and covered just a little part of the story…" Agatha explained, still avoiding Tedros' gaze. He rubbed his temples while he started pacing. Agatha then heard him chuckle lightly

"I…I actually find this humorous, even though I probably shouldn't, but I guess we can…lie a little…but just for the minor details" Tedros agreed. Agatha sighed in relief.

"Good. The only people that know are Arietta and Nerida" The maids waved at Tedros at the mention of their names. Tedros awkwardly waved back.

"So how did it go with your mother?" Agatha asked. Tedros smiled weakly.

"It went well, much better than I could have ever imagined. She explained everything I had ever wondered. And she also asked about the wedding, more specifically, she asked about you" Tedros told. Agatha raised an eyebrow.

"And what did you say about me?" She asked. Tedros grinned.

"The truth: that you are a wonderful wife" He grinned goofily at her, then kissed her forehead. Agatha blushed.

"Let's solve the real problems first, you can kiss me later" Agatha returned, a teasing grin playing on her lips.

"Alright. I guess we should gather everybody at the ballroom and explain what is going on" Tedros decided.

"Sounds like a plan" Agatha conceded.

"Oh, and could you two do me a favor?" Tedros asked Nerida and Arietta. They nodded immediately.

"Of course" Nerida replied politely.

"Could you two look for Xalvador? I need him to go to the room where we all met" Tedros requested. Nerida nodded, and so did Arietta.

"Will do" Arietta said. She and Nerida proceeded to look for the guard.

"We should start heading for the rooms where people is" Agatha commented, looking over at Tedros.

"Do you know where to find the people?" Tedros asked Agatha. She nodded.

"Yeah, just follow me and we'll find them" Agatha replied.

They headed for the rooms, not ready to confront the people behind the doors, but ready to at least offer an explanation as to why the Ball had ended so abruptly.

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Good? Bad? Tell me!

Until next time!


	23. Bitter Announcements and goodbyes

**After a month, I'm finally back! I have to apologize that it took me so long, but I made it! Please enjoy!**

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Convoking over 200 people was no easy task, especially when nobody had a really clear idea where they were. Agatha looked through some rooms, following some of Arietta's directions as to where she had seen some people. Tedros just went in the opposite direction, and eventually found a large number of royals congregated in one huge room.

When your coronation ball it's interrupted by an intruder threat, let's just say it's not easy to accommodate everybody into one room, but Tedros and Agatha managed. With some difficulty, but they managed.

Evedn though the castle had obnoxiously big rooms, fitting 400 people in one room wasn't too easy. After a while, Tedros found a room big enough, with azure colored walls, several couches and several sets of chairs. Most people stood, since the priority at the moment wasn't comfort, most didn't mind standing; as long as they got their information, everything would be fine

Pompous royals were fanning themselves to 'calm down after the horrendous outburst", while others just sat or stood stiffly. Apparently, the agitation hadn't left their bodies just yet, even though at least an hour had passed…

Saying Agatha didn't know what to do would be an understatement. She could barely hold a conversation for more than 2 minutes; there was no way she would speak in front of a crowd of roughly 400 people.

For safety matters, Tedros requested Chaddick and Tristan to guard the room. It was as if he expected something bad to happen after the big announcement. So much for the certain behavior expected from the upper class. Agatha rolled her eyes at the thought; very often, upper classmen were seen too highly, but they could be the most imperfect creatures sometimes.

"You'll do the talking, right?" She asked Tedros in a hushed tone. Tedros nodded in reply. Agatha sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I think I have an idea of what to say" Tedros replied. Agatha quirked an eyebrow.

"Do you think it'll work?" Agatha inquired. Tedros shrugged.

"I hope it does. I don't think they'll be too happy when they hear my mother's name" Tedros mumbled.

"I don't think so either" Agatha answered earnestly.

When the two finished their little chat, Tedros cleared his throat loudly, attracting people's attention to their newly appointed king. Every single pair of eyes was on them, all the people waiting to know who had been the intruder

"I would like to inform that we have successfully identified the intruder…and I will gladly announce that said person plays no harm towards us" Tedros spoke solemnly. A few gasps and chatter started among the crowds.

"Well, then who is this person?" An old woman demanded, narrowing her eyes at both of them. Agatha furrowed her eyebrows at the woman. She then saw Tedros hesitate before speaking again.

"The intruder was the former queen, Guinevere…" Tedros announced. Clamoring broke out in the room. People gasped in shock, others winced at the woman's name. Finally, most were scandalized by the sole fact of Guinevere's presence.

"Sacrilege! She was banished by your father! Your Majesty, what will you do about this?" A man demanded angrily. Obviously an ardent hater of Guinevere.

"I will let her go in peace. Banishment it's enough punishment for her. Besides, I don't think showing humanity towards my own mother it's a sin….she will receive no chastisement for this, and her death warrant will be removed." Tedros barely finished his sentence when the crowd had started speaking again. All of them were outraged at Tedros' decision. Agatha could see there weren't many sympathizers with them.

"But, what she did can be considered desertion! And desertion, let me remind you, it's a crime that it is not taken lightly" The same woman as before demanded. She glared at Tedros and Agatha, as if they were doing something wrong.

"I think I know my own laws very well. The decision has been made, and I am not going to take back my words. My mother will go in peace." Tedros argued, much to the crowd's dismay. Many of them glared at Tedros, others looked quizzical, and very few showed no expression. The atmosphere was beyond tense. Nobody spoke for about a minute, as if accepting Tedros' words. Agatha couldn't fathom why these people hated Guinevere so much. Were some of these people her friends?

"Your Majesty, I hate to question your authority, but shouldn't you at least give her some light punishment? I mean, she did break into the castle after all, and isn't that trespassing?" A young man spoke. He looked roughly 19 or 18.

"I could see why you would say that, but that's a first offense, and she didn't intend harm on anybody." Tedros explained. Most people remained unconvinced, but the young man sat.

"If I may ask, what were her intentions?" The old woman from before asked.

"To return her old crown to its rightful place" Tedros replied calmly. The woman's eyes lingered on him suspiciously, but she then took a seat.

"Look, I know it's a…stressful situation, to say the least, but I think we can all go in peace, since no one was harmed, and the intruder wasn't anyone whom we should worry about. The only unfortunate thing was the inconvenient interruption, other than that, nothing happened." Tedros said solemnly. More people shrugged it off, there were still some skeptical individuals, but they were the minority.

"You are dismissed, you may go in peace. My apologies for this incident, it was beyond my control" Tedros finished. Slowly, the people made their way out. Many mumbled things under their breaths, probably complaints. After they all left, Agatha and Tedros were the only ones in the room. Agatha rubbed her temples, while Tedros sighed loudly.

"That was one hell of a coronation…" Tedros observed, Agatha nodded her head.

"Well, I bet nobody had a coronation as…eventful as this one, to say the least" Agatha replied as she looked ahead of her.

"I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of glad it's over" Tedros commented, focusing his gaze in an object ahead of him.

"Me too! I was definitely not expecting…this to happen. And what was up with that old woman? She seemed to be angry at our sole presence, what did Guinevere ever do to her?" Agatha asked out loud. Tedros tore his gaze from whatever he was looking at and looked at Agatha.

"Her name is Therese, she's my dad third cousin…" Tedros explained. Agatha let out an 'oh'.

"That explains…a lot actually. She was intimidating…" Agatha said, trailing off.

"Yeah, I'm glad I see her like once every year, she is really annoying…But anyway, except the whole 'intruder' thing, did you enjoy the ball?" Tedros inquired.

"I did, surprisingly" Agatha replied. Tedros grinned goofily at her. Agatha smiled shyly.

"Being a royalty member it's not that _bad_ , except for the part of arranged marriages, and the part where everybody knows your business" Tedros smiled stupidly at Agatha. She stifled a laugh.

"Yeah, _just_ that, it's not like it's important or anything, just marriage" Agatha retorted sarcastically. Tedros laughed at the comment.

"Well, it didn't turn out too bad for us…right?" Tedros asked, looking at Agatha. She shrugged.

"Sure" Tedros was about to say something when he noticed she started laughing. Tedros smiled at her and eventually started laughing as well.

"You're such a pleasure to be around" Tedros commented sarcastically.

"So are you" Agatha retorted, both grinning like idiots.

"We'll be married for like 10 years and we'll still be unsure whether the other likes us" Tedros said with a grin plastered on his face.

"We'll have kids and I'll probably doubt it" Agatha joked, Tedros raised his eyebrows and smirked at her.

"So you're already thinking of having kids? Wow, spoken like a true Queen!" Tedros teased, Agatha blushed so hard in that moment.

"No, I-I mean, , uh..I didn't mean it that way! Shut up!" Agatha stuttered awkwardly, much to Tedros' amusement.

"I mean, we would have to have kids at some point, but if you're already up for it, that could be easily solved" Tedros winked at her and Agatha's face went darker a whole shade of red.

"No! No! I-I, ugh! Why are you such an idiot!? I do not want kinds right now! You're so stupid…" Agatha trailed off, too embarrassed to even speak. Tedros approached her and kissed the top of her head.

"Hey, I was just teasing, really" Tedros kissed her head again, then her forehead, and he went on, planting kisses all over her blushing face.

"You're an idiot…but I sort of…like you" Agatha mumbled, Tedros ran his thumb over her currently rosy cheeks.

"I like you too, Agatha" He said goofily. Agatha managed to look up to him, then planted a kiss on Tedros' lips. He smiled at her giddily.

"Come on, we should probably be going. Besides, do you know what's going to happen to your mother?" Agatha asked Tedros, his face becoming serious in less than a second.

"Yes. Xalvador and I arranged her a carriage to wherever she's going. She'll be leaving at 10, so roughly, three hours." Tedros informed. Agatha nodded silently, she hesitated to do so, but managed to ask:

"I know this is an odd request, but…do you think it would be alright if I…at least formally introduced myself to your mother…I mean, it's the polite thing to do, it would be rude if I didn't and I don't want to—

"Agatha, that's alright. I think I know where she might be" Tedros informed, Agatha nodded.

"So, where is she?" Agatha asked, a little embarrassed at the situation.

"Just follow me." Tedros replied cryptically, and Agatha did, unsure of where they were headed.

Even though she had been at the castle for a while now, Agatha still marveled at the castle's magnitude. Currently, the two were in the first level of the castle, but they had just crossed a section said to be kept secret. Long halls made of gray bricks surrounded them as they stepped on concrete. On top of that, the passage was long, narrow and dimly lit; it all added up to create a dark and mysterious atmosphere, as if to emphasize the fact that nobody knew the place. The halls were definitely the least glamourous place in the whole castle, which surprised Agatha; she always assumed everything was carpeted and that every wall was painted in vibrant hues. Apparently she was wrong.

Tedros led the way through the dim halls. He clearly knew his way through the narrow passages, while Agatha just walked, looking ahead, wondering when the passage would end.

"Why are these so secret? Are they like a secret escape route?" Agatha inquired, Tedros nodded.

"They were built a few years ago, maybe 50 or 60. It helps people secretly escape, not many people is aware of their existence. I don't even think my father is aware of the existence of these. Chaddick once found them by accident and we checked them out, that was about two years ago" Tedros told. He came to a stop when he saw a wooden door in front of him. He reached for the handle and opened it, Agatha following close behind him.

The tunnels' end revealed a beautiful night scene: The dark skies were speckled with bright stars, while the moon illuminated the landscape even more. There were extensive gardens with leafy bushes and colorful flowers all over the place. Finally, there was a small pond to the left of them, filled with lily ponds and some petals that had fallen off and were now at the pond's waters. It was all so tranquil and quiet, it seemed it was a completely different place, like it held no connection to the palace. Agatha and Tedros quietly admired it for a couple of seconds, momentarily forgetting their reason to be here.

"It's so beautiful…" Agatha whispered while looking ahead. Tedros nodded silently in agreement.

"I had seen the tunnels before, but I had never seen this…" He spoke, then paused for a second, and then spoke again, "We should probably get going, unless you want to stay here for a while"

"Oh no, it's fine, we should get going…" Agatha replied, her eyes fixed on the moon.

"Let's go then" Tedros said, Agatha nodded.

They walked through the silent field, a cool breeze sweeping by them. They walked through the gardens until they saw a pair of golden gates in front of them, accompanied by a carriage, a rider and Guinevere. The unknown rider and Guinevere were quietly talking, and as they approached them, Agatha was able to tell it was Xalvador who was standing there.

The two approached the knight and the former queen who were engaged in conversation. Agatha hated to interrupt, but she felt she should try a 'normal' introduction with Guinevere. After all, it was the polite thing to do.

Xalvador's eyes widened at their sight, while Guinevere just turned and smiled at the couple.

"What are you two doing here? I mean, what is your reason to be here?" Xalvador asked, clear abashed by his selection of words.

"Oh, I just wanted to introduce myself to Guinevere before she left, you know, since I didn't get the chance to do so" Agatha explained, fiddling with her dress. Guinevere smiled at her brightly, Agatha looked away.

"That would be great, I would love to meet my daughter-in-law. Is it okay if we go to the benches over there? Or do you just want to stay here?" Guinevere asked.

"Um, benches will do" Agatha decided, and the two women headed for a couple of benches by the pond. Agatha sat and smoothed her dress, while Guinevere pulled a lose thread from her dull blue dress. Agatha cleared her throat, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Well, my name is Agatha, I don't know if you know that. I've been married to Tedros for barely even a month…I know this is a very unconventional way to meet your in-laws, but yeah, I just wanted to know you a little better, especially since one of my maids always speaks about you" Agatha rambled awkwardly, while Guinevere nodded and smiled in approval.

"Yeah, I definitely didn't think I would meet you like this," She laughed, and Agatha smiled shyly, "but at least I got to know you. I would like to apologize for interrupting your coronation, but I was caught…I guess we were meant to meet." Guinevere finished, looking over at Agatha expectantly.

"I would surmise so…it was very noble of you to want to return the crown, I don't think it would've even occurred to me to do so if I was you" Agatha observed, Guinevere raised her eyebrows.

"Really? It had been sitting there for nearly 10 years, someone had to use it...I would hate to dampen the mood, but, did you want to be a queen or were you just forced into it?" Guinevere asked, Agatha fidgeted uncomfortably. That would be nice: 'God no! I hated your son!', definitely not the way to answer that question.

"Well, if I were honest, I didn't…I couldn't sleep that night, before I left for Camelot. I didn't even want to get married, much less be a queen…it took me a while to warm up to the place, but I managed, especially since my maids, Nerida and Arietta, are more friends than servants" Agatha explained. Guinevere nodded silently.

"I didn't want to either…the marriage proposal was mailed and I had no choice but to accept it. I didn't have to move to far, but boy, I dreaded everything about this place. After a while, I got used to it, I had no choice anyway…eventually, my marriage failed and you probably know the rest…did you say Nerida is your maid? She was a nice girl back in the day, very quiet too. How is she?" Guinevere asked curiously. Agatha smiled awkwardly.

"She is pretty good, she is engaged and all. She's not that quiet anymore, she talks a lot sometimes actually" Agatha replied, smiling at the thought of their pointless chattering.

"Oh that's great! Glad to hear that. Marriage is a pretty big deal, talking about marriage, how is yours going for you? I know Tedros is very happy, but I like hearing both sides, you know…" Guinevere trailed off, and Agatha understood the allusion: her and Arthur's marriage had always been one sided, and she didn't want that to happen to another generation.

"So far, I would say it has exceeded all my expectations…I thought we would hate each other forever, but I really am happy with him…ironically, this went from a horrible idea, to a great one…" Agatha confessed, Guinevere smiled softly.

"That's wonderful, but why would you think you would hate each other?" Agatha laughed at that, looking away.

"Let's just say we had a rough beginning, our first impressions were beyond terrible" Guinevere joined in Agatha's mirthful laugh. Looking back on it, their first impression was so bad it was actually humorous.

"Oh Tedros, he's… special I guess…well, I am glad to hear you are happy, I didn't want to pry, but I just wanted to make sure you two are on the same page. I know at first it must have been unending, but I am glad you made it. Even though I barely know you…" Guinevere added, Agatha just grinned.

"Thank you, I am glad I got to meet you and all" Agatha replied, smiling at Guinevere.

"Me too. Oh, I've been meaning to ask, where are you from?" Guinevere asked.

"A little town called Gavaldon, not a lot of people know about its existence, not that I blame them." Agatha replied, feeling her mind filling with several memories from her previous life. A life that seemed very far away.

"Ah, I haven't heard of it" Guinevere confessed, Agatha smiled. It was the common reaction.

"Yeah, it's okay." Agatha said lamely, looking around the calm scene.

"Would you like to head back?" Guinevere asked, "Or do you want to stay here?"

Agatha deliberated for a second, then replied, "Going back would be fine, thank you"

The two of them got up from their bench and started walking back towards Guinevere's carriage.

Agatha knew Guinevere had pretty much been banished after the years, and she knew she had been a queen years ago, but she felt like a regular woman. She was beyond humble, her kindness showed even at moments like these. For a second, it looked like she must have been a wonderful mother.

As they got to the carriage, they were met with an awkward silence from Tedros and Xalvador; obviously neither knew what to say. Luckily, Guinevere broke it with panache:

"Well, it's been an interesting day, to say the least. I still can't believe my son it's officially a king, and I still can't believe he's married too." Tedros and Agatha smiled a little at the comment.

"Will you be leaving now?" Tedros asked, trying to keep his composure.

"Yes, it will be best to leave as soon as I can; I don't want to stir up trouble…" Guinevere added, looking around to make sure nobody was around. Tedros sighed before he spoke.

"I guess this is it, take care mother," He paused and the two hugged for a couple of seconds.

"You too, Tedros" Guinevere uttered quietly. They broke apart, and Guinevere proceeded to hug Agatha:

"It was nice meeting you, Agatha" Guinevere said, Agatha nodded.

"I would say the same" Agatha replied in an awkward fashion.

"I wish you the best: I will try to write a letter soon" Guinevere promised. Tedros and Agatha nodded. Guinevere then boarded the carriage, receiving help from Xalvador. As soon as the two were ready, the carriage advanced and they headed for the road, their destination unknown to Tedros and Agatha, who stared ahead blankly.

"I guess we should go now" Tedros whispered, still looking ahead.

"I wouldn't mind leaving, today left me exhausted' Agatha answered, suddenly drowning in tiredness. Today had been a _long_ day.

"Me too, I'm ready to go to sleep, to be honest" Tedros responded. Agatha nodded and started heading back to the castle. Tedros followed shortly after her. They walked in silence, just commenting on their surroundings from time to time.

As they made their way back to their room, the couple just flopped unglamorously on the bed. They were truly drained. Suddenly, Agatha groaned loudly.

"What's wrong?" Tedros asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I still need to get out of this dress" Agatha complained. Tedros started laughing, while Agatha glared at him.

"You need help getting out of it?" Tedros offered, Agatha nodded, and the two slipped into their usual night routine.

They had woken up as a prince and a princess, and they now were a king and a queen. But in Agatha's heart and mind, they were just themselves. The same two people with the same strange habits and routines.

* * *

 **What did you think? Was it worth the wait? IMPORTANT NOTICE: There are very few chapters left in this story, maybe only two (*gasp*), so keep that in mind. I can't believe it myself!**

 **PLEASE READ: IMPORTANT: As of today, I have decided to delete Dangerous Games. Yeah, it was unexpected, but I realized I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't feel it was worth writing if I didn't know where I was headed. BUT, I am planning a oneshot/twoshot to make up for that! It will be a funny one, (sorta) and kinda romantic. So look forward to that!**


	24. Conclusion

**Well, it's been over a month since I updated; I am so, so, so, so sorry. I really am. Getting the motivation to write this chapter was _hard_. But after a month, I managed to stop being a professional procrastinator and update. Big news, this is the very last chapter of Imperfect Queen! I cannot believe it myself, but I hope you all like this. Please review ^^**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Agatha was usually able to instantly fall asleep. Tonight, it wasn't the case. As she tossed and turned, her mind was still struggling to register all events that had led up to this moment. Not only she had been crowned Queen, but in an unexpected series of events, she had also met Guinevere, who happened to be her mother-in-law. Huh. That was so… _weird_. She was sure not a lot of people met their in-laws because they had interrupted their coronation.

Agatha had already given up on having a normal life, anyway.

She looked over at Tedros; he seemed to be asleep. Agatha suddenly envied him. She must have been awake for at least two hours.

As she rolled over to her side, she tried to fall asleep. Hoping she would succeed. Eventually, she did.

When she woke up, it was because Tedros was fumbling through drawers. Agatha begrudgingly opened her eyes, and restrained herself from asking what in the name of god he was doing. Instead, she simply quirked an eyebrow. Tedros was still being noisy.

"What are you doing?" Agatha inquired. Tedros turned around to face her.

"I need ink" He replied lamely. Agatha stared at him in disbelief.

"What for?" She asked him.

"Some document I need to sign" Tedros mumbled in reply. This only furthered Agatha's curiosity.

"What document? And don't they have ink somewhere else?" Agatha inquired in obvious puzzlement.

"The one that absolves my mother from death penalty" Tedros answered. Agatha widened her eyes. Oh…she had to admit, he had been quick about that…

"Oh…that makes a lot of sense…"Agatha added lamely, obviously unsure of what to say.

"Yeah…Arietta was looking for you, by the way. I told her to be back in an hour, since you seemed need sleep" Tedros told her. Agatha was grateful for that.

"Thank you, for that I mean" Agatha mumbled. Tedros nodded and smiled at her.

"No problem. She should be back any moment now, though. It's been nearly an hour since I saw her. Ah, found it!" Tedros pulled out a small bottle of ink from a drawer. Agatha cracked a smile at him.

"So where are you going?" Agatha asked him.

"I need to meet with some advisers and sign this. After that I can wait for you and we can head for breakfast, if that's okay with you" Tedros suggested. Agatha considered it, then nodded in agreement.

"That sounds perfect" Agatha agreed. Tedros grinned at her.

"I'll see you in a while then," He leaned in and gave her a peck on her lips. Agatha smiled at him.

"See you later" Agatha said, while a pink blush crept up her cheeks. Tedros grinned at her and then left the room. Agatha simply laid back down and rolled over to her side.

She stayed like that for at least ten minutes. Until she heard a knock on the door. Agatha suppressed a groan and instead said;

"Come in!" In that moment, Arietta and Nerida strolled into the room. With their matching navy blue skirts and matching ponytails.

"Hi, Agatha!" Arietta chirped in her usual cheery tone, "You got some extra sleep today"

"Yeah, did you have a poor night of sleep?" Nerida asked, looking for a dress for Agatha.

"Uh, you can say that" Agatha replied. She sat up and stretched, letting out a groan while she did so.

"Well, enough slacking for today!" Arietta chided, "We actually need to fill you in your new schedule, since you're a queen and all"

"Oh" Agatha said, "Is it very different from my old one? I kind of liked my old one, well, I was used to it to say the least"

"Well, we know. But things change when you move up a step on the social pyramid" Nerida added, laying a scarlet dress on the bed.

"True, true. But before we get there, can you fill us in what happened last night with Guinevere?" Arietta asked. Agatha rolled her eyes at her curiosity.

"Well, not much really. We just kind of talked about…stuff" Agatha replied lamely. Arietta and Nerida just looked at her blankly.

"What stuff?" Nerida pressed. Agatha sighed.

"You know, marriage, backstories, all that kind of stuff" Agatha said ambiguously. Obviously, she didn't feel like talking about it.

"Was she nice to you?" Arietta asked while she brushed Agatha's hair.

"Yeah, she looked like she was really nice" Agatha answered. Finally giving an answer worth their time.

"So what is going to happen to her?" Nerida inquired, helping Agatha slip off her nightgown.

"Tedros said he needed to sign a document that absolves her of death penalty. So that's pretty good, considering everybody hates her…"Agatha trailed off, remembering the booing from last night.

"Yeah, we heard a lot of comments on the subject. Mostly negative ones…"Nerida added, looking away.

"Sounds like them" Agatha mumbled.

While the two fixed up Agatha, they made their usual small talk. Thankfully, the two maids stayed away from the topic of last night. Agatha really didn't feel like talking about it; she simply felt there wasn't that much to tell, even if there was.

"Well, so what you'll need to do is not really that…organized, per say" Nerida started, "you should start your day by going to the chapel and saying your prayers; today we'll bypass that, but tomorrow you have to. Then, breakfast, obviously. On some days there might be a council, you are required to go to those"

"They're really boring, by the way" Arietta interrupted. Nerida glared at her and continued;

"As I was saying, is not really organized, so you'll most likely spend the whole day talking to ladies of the Court, or doing something else"

"Like reading or parading around the gardens with the Ladies of the Court" Arietta interrupted again, but Nerida just nodded in agreement.

"Wait a second" Agatha said, adjusting her dress, "what do you mean 'Ladies of the Court'?"

"Oh, we never told you?" Arietta shot a confused look over at Nerida.

"No…" Agatha answered.

"Well, they're basically ladies-in-waiting" Arietta explained. Agatha still looked confused.

"They're high-ranking women; they're the Queen's friends, or they might assist her. You should've probably spent more time with them…"Nerida added, while she awkwardly looked away.

"We kind of smothered you over the last month, haven't we?" Arietta grinned toothily.

"No, that's fine, really. I feel more comfortable with you…is that bad?" Agatha inquired.

"Not for us. Now, for the Court, it might be a little iffy to think that their queen hangs out with low-life servants…"Arietta explained, suddenly wincing at her own words.

Agatha frowned. The Court had to be the most annoying group of people she had met. They were this bunch of nobles that had a say in decisions, and that was fine with her. But man, they were really, really into other people's business. As well as the fact that they were highly snobby. She had only met some members twice, but that was more than enough for one lifetime…

"We all know that's not true" Agatha alleged defensively. It still irked her when either Arietta or Nerida degraded themselves. It was just one if the things that were so wrong with social hierarchy.

"Yeah, but you know what I mean, I'm just trying to voice their thoughts on us" Arietta explained. Agatha nodded, even if she understood, it didn't mean she agreed.

"I can't believe we never filled you in with the ladies-in-waiting thing, we really need to do better at the whole maid thing…" Nerida thought out loud, she said so as she tightened Agatha's corset.

"It's not that big of a deal, really." Agatha assured them.

"For you, but for other people, it is…" Arietta explained.

"So wait, do I just get to parade around the castle doing nothing all day?" Agatha asked.

"Not exactly. It's like we told you, when there's Council meetings is different, you might need to travel sometimes, oh, and I know you're going to _love_ this one" Arietta emphasized, an evil grin was plastered on her face. Agatha sighed

"The Queen gets to organize _all_ balls" Arietta told. Agatha groaned loudly.

"Are they seriously going to trust me with balls? I mean, they're alright, but I know nothing about event planning. Can we reevaluate this one?" Agatha rambled. Nerida giggled.

"Relax, there are about two balls each year. Christmas Ball, and sometimes Easter Ball. The last one didn't even take place this, actually, that was a one-time thing a couple of years back…" Nerida quietly thought about balls, then Arietta chirped in;

"Monarchs get their own birthday ball, too. So you get one, and Tedros gets one. But it's completely up to you if you actually want one"

"I would rather not; too much fuss over such little things…" Agatha replied.

"We assumed you probably would say that, anyway" Nerida added.

"Before I forget, some lady wants to meet you today at 2 by the gardens" Arietta said, changing the subject. Agatha raised an eyebrow.

"What lady?" Agatha asked.

"Uh…some lady named Dulcina. She's the duchess of something, I forget what. She's one of your ladies!" Arietta explained vaguely.

"Huh, how old is she?" Agatha asked Arietta.

"Thrtyish, I think. Not really sure…" Arietta replied lamely.

Agatha sighed; she had never been too keen on people, let alone so called 'ladies-in-waiting'. For all that she knows, they might be like any other Court member, or they could actually be decent people, but that's the thing with royals, you never know what to expect.

* * *

Agatha angrily stomped through the castle's halls. She had agreed to meet Dulcina, because that was the polite thing to do. This time, Agatha wasn't anxious about meeting her, instead, she just didn't feel much trepidation, nor excitement for that matter. But if she was going to be a lady-in-waiting, they needed to get along.

Well, Dulcina was certainly a pain; she complained about _everything_ , and even though Agatha did complain often, she had to draw the line somewhere. Dulcina was a young woman, who looked to be in her late 20's or early 30's, like Arietta had said, and she had long red hair, tied in an elaborate bun, as well as piercing blue eyes, which seemed to be judging your every response. She was narcissistic and full of prejudice, and it also seemed she was a greedy individual. She criticized the Court's handling of the kingdom, as well as the servants, whom she obviously didn't like at all. Like many others, she questioned Tedros's decision of absolving his mother.

"I just don't feel it's fair; she's a deserter after all"

"Well, but that doesn't deserve a death penalty" Agatha argued. Dulcina shot her a dirty look.

Then she went on imply that Agatha wasn't fit to reign because of her background. Now, Agatha doesn't expect people to kiss the floor on which she walks, but she does expect certain amount of respect from people. And that was when she stood up and excused herself. Dulcina just stared at her.

"I need to go, since I already wasted thirty minutes here, and I have duties to attend" Agatha alleged, much to the duchess's chagrin.

As of now, Agatha was irritated; someone with such a high rank shouldn't look down on Agatha just because of her previously being a peasant, nor should they talk so much crap about previous monarchs. Agatha didn't even want her as a lady-in-waiting. She didn't even want ladies-in-waiting…

* * *

As the weeks progressed, Agatha started becoming busier and busier; there were Council meetings at least four days each week, and they were about three hours. This included debating important decisions, and approve or veto important bills, or in some cases, requests. Tedros and Agatha usually ended up dying after those three hours.

On the other side, Agatha had to meet the Ladies of the Court; it was a group od six women, ranging from 16 to somewhere in their late 30's. some were really nice, others were okay, and a minority was dislikeable. This was a huge relief to Agatha; they all liked to talk about themselves a little bit too much, but overall, they all enjoyed each other's company. There were two that Agatha liked the best; Elira, a young duchess, and Ursula, a woman around 25 who was also a duchess. Luckily, Dulcina wasn't in the bunch, much to Agatha's happiness.

Even though she was more tired than usual, everything seemed to be going well for Agatha. Getting used to the new schedule wasn't that hard, even if it was hard staying awake at Council meetings, she was managing to do well. She might be busier, but she knew that was going to happen, so it wasn't a surprise. After months of dreading it, Agatha wasn't having usch a hard time as queen, at least not so far.

As time passed, a dreaded day came; Sophie and her mother were leaving. Agatha knew it needed to happen, but it was still hard to hear the news. As she sat on a bench in the gardens, the two women approached her, revealing the news; Agatha felt as if all the weight of the world was dropped on her in that moment. They both promised to write her as soon as possible, especially Callis.

It wasn't a nice day when they left; the sky was grey and cloudy, as if it was a representation of Agatha's feelings. She stood in the entrance of the castle, guards were there, guarding the gates. Agatha watched as the guards helped them get in their carriage; she ignored the knot at her stomach as she watched.

"We'll stay in contact, I promise you" Sophie stated, and she hugged Agatha. Sophie leaned in and whispered: "Remember to write when your first child is born, oh, and remember to name me their godmother"

"Sophie!" Agatha exclaimed, feeling a blush on her face. Sophie just rolled her eyes.

"It's going to happen eventually, you know" Sophie retorted

"Yeah, yeah." Agatha said dismissively.

"In all seriousness, I'm going to miss you" Sophie said, her tone softening. Agatha nodded, silently agreeing.

"I'm going to miss you trying on my clothes all the time" Agatha said. Sophie laughed at that.

"I will miss that too…" Sophie mumbled.

Callis came over and hugged Agatha as well.

"I love you, and I'm proud of who you are. Write some time" Agatha hugged her again, feeling how real this moment was.

"Thank you, I love you too, Mother" Agatha said, feeling tears forming in her eyes. Callis and Sophie went into the carriage, leaving Stefan as the only one to still say goodbye.

"Look, I know I never really addressed this, but… I always saw you as a daughter, and seeing you walk down the aisle and assume that crown gave me a real feeling of pride, even if we're not really anything, but I love you as my own; I wish you the best" Stefan said. Agatha hugged him, feeling the tears flow freely down her face.

"Thank you for coming, and for walking me down the aisle, even if you didn't need to" Agatha said.

"It was my pleasure" Stefan added, smiling warmly at Agatha.

The guards closed the carriage doors after Stefan went in, and they left. Agatha stood there until it disappeared from her view.

* * *

Eventually, weeks became months, and months would turn into years. In all this time, Agatha often reflected on all the events that led her here; what once made her cringe, it would now be a bittersweet memory. She would always remember her first weeks at the castle, and the alienation that came with that, but she would also remember the good things, such as all the good times she had with Arietta and Nerida, or her Coronation Ball, even if it did end abruptly.

She often received letters from Sophie and her mother; big news, Gavaldon was still a dead town, at least according to Sophie. Agatha usually got a laugh out of Sophie's letters. She eagerly wrote back to them, trying to be as detailed as possibly as she could. She also got letters from some people from the kingdoms; merchants, artisans, artists, potters, even nobles, they all were received by Agatha. Nerida usually handed them, saying how shocked she was at the amount of correspondence.

She was loved by the crowds, and was often seen as the ideal queen the people needed. Kids loved her and would always rush to see her and talk to her. Adults always wanted to talk to her as well. They all thought her perfect. But Agatha knew she was their imperfect queen, even if they didn't believe that.

And as time progressed, she and Tedros fell more and more in love. She was very much aware of how cheesy that sounded, but it was true. They were proud to say they were one of the few arranged marriages that did turn into love with time. Even people could tell it was genuine, even though their judgement was usually off.

"Do you ever wonder what would've happen if I hadn't been the one that Tristan and Chaddick randomly chose?" Agatha asked Tedros once, as they laid awake in the middle of the night.

"At some point, I used to. I guess I would've been married off to the richest girl they could have found. Some princess or something" Tedros replied simply, "I'm glad they found you though, you were the one" Agatha giddily smiled at him in that moment. She leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back eagerly, just like he always did. Their lips parted, as they eventually whispered 'I love you" into the darkness of the night.

At first, Agatha had been scared out of her mind, but now, she still couldn't believe how far she had gotten. She was proud of herself, and she was happy. Happier than ever. She wanted to be the queen everyone wanted and deserved, she wanted to be a good and loving wife, and she wanted to be a good person, overall. Without this experience, she wouldn't be who she is today. She thought she would regret her decision, but now she was glad her mother pushed her to go on this journey.

This was truly the greatest plot twist of her life.

 _ **The End.**_

* * *

 **Please share your comments, and tell me what you thought of this ending! After nearly nine months, I finished the story! I am so thankful for all your reviews, favorites and follows! You guys are the most amazing ever, and I am so glad you all liked this story.**

 **Special thanks to kikipanda825 and ever-of-woods-beyond, who happened to be my very first reviewers ever! Oh, and they also reviewed _every, single_ chapter. That's dedication!**

 **Finally, a huge shoutout to SwanDestiny! She was the editor for a big part of the story, and she taught me so much. I couldn't have made it here without you!**

 **Having over 200 reviews still sounds absolutely crazy, but it was all thank to you! Even if it's over, I make no promises, but at some point, I might post some 'Deleted Scenes' in this universe. Again, no promises, but I would like to know you opinion on this. Again, thank you so much for your support, I love you guys!**

 **If you still want to read some SGE fanfics by me, you are welcome to read my new story "Sleepless in Rome", it's a modern AU, it's definitely more lighthearted than Imperfect Queen, but you still get some romance, as well as some humor and shenanigans.**

 **Until next time!**


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